Battlestar Galactica

Season 4 Episode 8

Sine Qua Non

Aired Friday 10:00 PM May 30, 2008 on Syfy

Episode Fan Reviews (27)

out of 10
482 votes
  • Sine Qua Non

    Sine Qua Non was a perfect and entertaining episode of Battlestar Galactica and I really enjoyed watching this episode because there was good political intrigue, changes of authority and lots of great character development and story progression. It was great to see Romo Lampkin once again, and it was cool to see who he came up with for the new President. There is change in the air, and some are nervous with the outcome. I know that I certainly can't wait to watch the next episode to see what happens!!!!!!!!!
  • Amazing series, another amazing episode

    While it may not be the best episode, there is no worst episode...They are all 10's. How dare anyone give this series below a 10?!

    Fact: BSG is amazing in every way possible. There is not much else to say. Why do they make you write 100 words for the reviews? I will just have to fill it up, then:

    ! ! ! B A T T L E S T A R G A L A C T I C A I S T H E B E S T S H O W E V E R ! ! !
  • Some unexpected turns with quite expected turns

    This episode was in some ways a shocker - first that guy with dark sunglasses - it was quite sure he was little crazy but when he takes an aim on Lee.. and his all talk.. that was just.. and then - I think it was Tyrol who once wondered will there be anyone else leading that ship whose last name isn't Adama.. - and yes.. Tigh takes it after Adama decides to stand behind and the way he needed this to realize.. that was amazing.

    And ofcourse - the whole political mess they are now in as president is missing. Adama refuses to talk with Zarek and to be honest, I got him but you have to say - he is a changed man - not the one we knew in season one.. And that was not shocking that in the end, they decided to have Lee as president.
  • The fleet's side of what happens after the rebel cylon baseship jumps away. Some key questions: who's in charge of the civilian govt and what will Adama do in response to Roslin disappearing.

    While overall I didn't find this to be one of the best episodes I found some aspects interesting.

    Romo pointing out to Lee that he really does strive for power and control, he just goes about it in a different way. He is patient and sets himself to be the best answer to a problem.

    Adama-we learn that there is one thing that will keep him from putting duty first and that's his love for Roslin. He backed down and would've left when Starbuck was lost in " you can't go home again". Here he gives up command to go sit in a raptor and wait for the baseship to return. He has basically told everyone his one true weakness, let's see if it comes back to bite him!

    Romo backstory filled in some, I think Lee related to him because he also had regrets about someone he left behind.(see Black Market)
  • I used to love this show and considered it my all-time favorite. But this episode was appallingly bad... easily the worst of the whole series.

    As a huge fan of BSG (which has been my all-time favorite TV show), this episode was a profound disappointment... easily the worst episode of the entire series. It was ridiculous on so many levels, I don't know where to start. [SPOILER ALERT - do not read further if you have not seen the episode]

    Lee Adama as president? What is he, 35? And we're supposed to believe the whole Quorum and Tom Zarek would roll over and agree to it so quickly, just because William Adama won't return Zarek's phone calls?

    Colonel Tigh sleeping with and impregnating Six?? What the frak??? Aside from the sheer absurdity of Tigh and Six sleeping together, there is the question of how Six could possibly be pregnant, given that we've been told all this time that Cylons can't reproduce with each other.

    Then there was Admiral Adama's impulsive FTL jump away from the fleet to search for the baseship, which left 35,000 people defenseless against a Cylon attack. This was by far the stupidest thing he's ever done. For all he knew he could have been heading right into a Cylon trap (with the battered Raptor they discovered having been the bait). And then the icing on the cake was Admiral Adama resigning his command and handing the reins over to Tigh -- right after discovering that Tigh had been sleeping with Six, of course!! Yes, that makes perfect sense -- find out your senior officer is secretly consorting with the enemy, then promote him! Adama said Tigh is a better person than he was in the past -- oh, please! You just found out he's sleeping with a Cylon prisoner, for frak's sake! As recently as the season 3 finale he was a drunk basket case and humiliated himself on the stand at Baltar's trial. Putting Tigh in charge is even riskier for the fleet than staying in charge with your own judgment clouded by your desperation to find Roslin.

    So basically Adama was willing to put the lives of 35,000 people (and the future of the entire human race) at risk just so he could personally look for Roslin. I don't know about you, but this episode has basically ruined the entire series for me. The first four episodes of Season 4 were sublime. It looked like this was shaping up to be the best season of the series. But in one single episode, the show has now completely jumped the shark. Huge, huge disappointment.
  • Not quite as painful as the Woman King, but pretty frakkin' close.....

    I was hoping that the return of Romo Lampkin would mean all sorts of fun creepy wackiness. But no. All we got out Romo was lots of pointless angst and a dead cat. And what the hell was up with the dead cat anyways? And after Romo totally loses his mind and tries to shoot Lee(land), they reward him by giving him a dog? Hel-LO?!? Dead cat in duffle bag?!? Romo's gone bye-bye, Egon. Not the time to give him another pet to kill. And you just KNEW that TPTB were going to make Lee(land) president. Admit it, people. You knew this as soon as he resigned from the fleet and went to work for the Quorum of Useless Whining. I'm already bored.

    The only cool moment in the entire episode was the Admiral and Col. Saul MF Tigh beating the crap out of each other and then discussing their female problems over the shattered (again) remains of the boat. Old people are so cute! And then that last scene between the two of them again at the end where Bill turned the fleet over to Tigh, and the look on Tigh's face (heh!). I totally squeed when Adama walked out and got into the raptor in his old flight suit and resumed his old call-sign of "Husker". EJO is my Yoda.
  • Whats with all the haters?!?

    Can't understand why so many people have given this a low rating! I thought it was well written, and very clever. After the ship containing Roslin, Helo and Baltar jumps away unexpectedly Lee (Apollo) and Zarek come to a logger head over the vacant presidancy. After finally Deciding that a new canidate needs to be elected as temp president Apollo looks to Romo Lampkin to help him find a suitable candidate. After some back and forth words and action and some clever camera angles with Lampkin, Lampkin comes to the decision that Lee is the only suitable candidate. Look for Lampkins "black bag" in every scene he is in and you'll understand why the camera angles are clever. Mean while it is revealed that the 6 on BSG is pregnant and upset with losing Roslin, Adama decides to go looking for her on a suicide mission!
  • Why has everyone become so indecisive? Why doesn't anyone make a decision and move on? Every thing is kind of vague and blurred. I love BSG (see below). Cruel to be kind. There's not long left to get back on the road to glory. SH.

    Don't know how many episodes are left but series four is definitely a cross between 'The Emperor's New Clothes' and treading water. Nothing is happening. It's geting to the stage where we don't care what happens to anyone - we just want to fast forward to the final episode and save us the pain of sitting through each week hoping for a scene where the script actually furthers the storyline. I could go on. It's like having your 20 year old daughter at university and packing it all in to go and live with Stephen Hawking. All the ingredients are there, genius, beauty, intelligence,'d rather your daughter stay on and do what she was doing. She didn't need the Professor. Bit deep I know but someone had to say it. SH.
  • Too much ambition in this episode, which is written artlessly.

    Something's wrong when you have to explain your title in a plainly didactic style.

    A lot seems to happen in this episode, but to my viewing, it doesn't really happen. Big changes for Lee, but this gets compressed into an exchange with a gun and some raspy raised voices? Please. This is a really poor use of Romo. The fist fight doesn't seem to work either to resolve another significant development.

    The only really great moment in this episode in this episode in the look on Tigh's face when Adama, behind him, says "You're not the same man who came back from New Caprica. You've found out a lot about yourself."

    It's not complete garbage, but it's well below the standard set in the rest of the season.
  • An unusual episode misses the mark

    Now that the introductory phase is well and truly over, complication must inevitably settle in, tossing pieces around the board in a seemingly random fashion. One problem with a deeply serialized format, particularly when a roadmap to resolution has been set, is filling in the blanks in sufficient depth. Motivations need to be established, and they must be tenable.

    This episode, on the surface, is a bit boring and pretentious, and there will be a number of fans declaring it "horrible" or "filler" as a result. Some of that is a reaction to the approach, not the content. The content itself is grounded convincingly in the continuity of the series, even in instances where it doesn't seem to be the case.

    Zarek has always been a dangerous figure, a political rival to Roslin with complex subversive motives. This makes him a fun character to have around, but in realistic terms, not someone that should necessarily be in the presidential role. It's not surprising that Adama would stonewall Zarek and push him out of favor, denying the Quorum any cooperation while he stands in Roslin's place. What is surprising is how well Zarek takes that opposition.

    Perhaps Zarek saw where the wind was blowing, and recognized that he would have someone more pliant to his manipulations in Lee Adama. I noted in an earlier review that Zarek seemed to be grooming Lee for this role, and sure enough, now he's President Adama. His entire personality fits into the prototypical and idealistic notion of what a president should be, after all, and the writers spend a great deal of time making that case.

    Oddly, they use Romo Lampkin as the messenger to the audience, and for the most part, it works. Lampkin was an interesting mentor to Lee already, so why not continue in that fashion? He's also a bit mad, so there's always a question of where the demented brilliance ends and the madness begins. The bit with the cat doesn't quite add up, but it does play well with Lampkin's style of manipulation. Forcing Lee to recognize and justify his fitness as president under gunpoint doesn't seem all that outlandish for him!

    So generally speaking, while Lee continues to be a bland character (even when striking a supermodel pose in red civilian threads), his character progression fits what has come before. The same is true for Adama, though the writers seem to take his personal quest to retrieve Roslin over the line of rationality.

    That Adama would risk everything, including the fleet, to find someone he loves is not in question. This is the same Adama who would not give up on Kara in "You Can't Go Home Again", and that Adama will do nearly anything. It's incredibly dangerous to have a military commander with such attachments, but under the circumstances, other options simply don't exist. Which is why, in the end, it's so interesting to think of Adama setting forth on this personal quest. He continues to risk, but he's decided not to risk everyone else in the process.

    Of course, that's from his point of view; in reality, he's just placed a Cylon in control of the entire fleet (and one with an admitted history of bad command decisions). Things seem on the verge of going horribly, horribly wrong without Roslin and Adama at the helm, and yet that may be deceptive. Lee is far more likely to listen when it comes to the idea of accord with the Cylons, and this new responsibility might finally push Tigh out of his post-revelatory funk.

    That said, did Adama need to resign to make this story work? I'm not sure that it was necessary, because he could have placed Tigh in charge without the additional drama. Much like the over-the-top farewell for Lee earlier in the season, it seems like the writers elected to skip the subdued approach and went for the overkill. It was particularly odd with respect to their previous argument (and fistfight) regarding Caprica Six.

    Tigh's relationship with Caprica Six continues to be an odd plot point. I'm not sure that I'm sold on the idea just yet, but it's clear that this situation is meant to distinguish the known Cylons from the Final Five in a fundamental way. This must be true, because the known Cylons were unable to reproduce; that was one key component of why they had to keep some of Humanity alive. Without that factor, the Cylons could feel justified in wiping out the rest of the Colonials.

    On the other hand, if my theory regarding the origins of the Final Five are correct, then Tigh's ability to impregnate Caprica Six makes sense. According to the theory, the Final Five are more software than hardware, a kind of genetic meme seeded within Humanity in each new turn of the wheel. If so, then Tigh has the right biology, since he is effective what is meant to be created. (This also means that the Final Five could, potentially, have origins older than the previous cycle.)

    The main issue with this episode is not necessarily what happens, but how far the writers went to justify those choices. I personally think they oversold some of the plot turns, making them feel forced and unnatural, where a more subtle approach would have been in keeping with what has been seen. With this being the final season, and with expectations so high, maybe it's a product of a desire to make every moment count.
  • A one episode break from last weeks cliff hanger. Not as well done as the previous two episodes, but set up future story lines. It was ok for BSG, but is still better than just about everything else on TV this week.

    Some will describe this as a filler episode with good reason, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. There were two stories in this episode, one about lee, and the other about his father.

    Some people on here had issues with Adama leaving the fleet because of Rosilyn. I personally did not and thought it was interesting he realized his personal wishes were comprimising the fleet. It is an interesting take on the leadership position he has that he saw he was causing harm and decided to step down on his own free will. Many leaders (even fictional on TV) would not do that. It also set up Tigh's storyline in the future because he knows he is a cylon but is now in charge. It should be interesting to watch his character in the future episodes.

    Like others, I was less impressed with the Lee storyline. It would have been much more interesting to have Zarek as president and the episode was too predictable that Lee would be president. It reminded me of VP Cheney being the vetter for Bush's vice president selection when they ended up choosing him for VP. Maybe they had that in mind?

    I watched the show twice and in the second viewing, it was obvious Lamkin's cat was in his mind. I do not think he was really going to shoot Lee, but it was a test as he thought Lee set himself up to be president and wanted to see if he had what it took (in his mind at least)

    Other minor quibbels were Starbuck being seemingly normal again without explaination and I thought Adama let Tigh off the hook rather quickly after finding out he was having sex with the Six. I know they fought, but you would think that even though he might let it go as a friend, to put him in charge after that revelation seemed a little forced storywise. It was like they had in mind Tigh would now be leading the fleet and they rushed the story to make that happen.

    On second thought, the Starbuck thing is a major quibble. Adama stated he did not believe in miracles when she came back, and now she is CAG again and the whole coming back from the dead thing seems to be dropped. Although they surely will deal with this again later, having her just pop up in the episode without addressing this actually seems like a plot hole or is unusual sloppy writing. Even if they can't answer how she came back, at least it should have been discussed on screen before allowing her back to her post. I'm beginning to think they may have written themselves into a corner with the coming back from the dead story and they don't know how to resolve it so they are basically punting the issue.

    It was a good episode, not great, but good.
  • The table is set and all will be revealed soon.

    With the end so close you can now almost see Earth things are shaping up and shaping up in typical BSG fashion. Lee as President although you knew it would happen was cool to actually see it. The Tigh and Adama fight was a great scene with the model being broke again that was priceless. Finding out that 6 is pregnant with Tigh's child was a bit of a shock. Adama's scolding of Athena was intense and of course the end of the episode relinquishing command to go after Roslin seeing Husker back in his gear was great. Next week hopefully we will know the final Cylon too bad it's going to be a long hiatus for the second half of Season 4.
  • *spoiler* Events in this ep were unexpected (by me at least) but upon reflection it was exactly how they had to go. I speak of course of Lee's 'ascension' to President.

    Firstly, I found this to be the most enjoyable episode of the season so far.

    I find it very tiring all the manic angst surrounding Kara all the time (tho I love her character). It's nice that the writers let up for once.

    So, how about those politicians eh? How typical. I don't know how long Roslin was missing - it only seemed like hours, or a couple of days at most, before Zarek and the rest started lobbying for a successor.

    And what a successor eh? Interesting that the Admiral abdicated his position to Tigh just when Junior became political leader. Of course, it had to be, I don't know that the fleet would have put up with an Adama in charge of the military and an Adama in charge of the political arm. A little too much like a monopoly there.

    It was interesting Romo Lampkins reaction to his realization that there was really only one candidate for President too. He felt he'd been manipulated in that direction by some force.....ahh all these Ron Moore really a religious person or does he just like fraking with us - more the latter I think.

    I thought it was also unrealistic for the Admiral to pack up a 'vacation raptor' and take off to await a rendevous with the basestar Roslin jumped in. I mean, aren't Raptors just a little thin on the ground nowadays? Can the fleet really afford to have the 'boss' bugger off on a personal trip? Surely if finding Roslin and the others were a reality - or pivotal to the continuation of the fleet - then the Galactica should have taken off after them.

    That's just a bit of nitpickery on my part though and by no means lessened my enjoyment of the episode.

    Just the fact that we got to see some of the other players for a change (I love the character of Romo Lampkin I confess) and that we have finally seen something happen with Lee Adama instead of that political limbo he's been this season, played a big part in my enjoyment of it; and as I mentioned before, not having to endure more psycho' starbuck and the circle of angst that surrounds her and anyone who comes within her orbit; or that bloody annoying git Baltar who has irritated me to death since the mini series. I know he's supposed to be one of the pivotal characters, but just once I'd love to get close enough to slap the messianic, narcissistic, womanisers face.

    I just don't see what use he is - whatever parts Baltar has played in getting the fleet to this point could quite easily have been attributed to other permanent and/or one-off characters without challenging the premise of the show (in my opinion - I know there's a bunch of people who'll want to take me to task for that statement). Okay, I've had my rant I'd better quit before I offend too many more people.

    Suffice to say - enjoyable ep. - not a world beater - and it was nice to finish an ep without being in a state of shock or ire....just once.
  • Battlestar; back on track finally!

    This episode like the former finally got Season 4 back on track and heralded the welcome return of Mark Sheppard; an actor that should be a main player. This guy owns every scene he is in and really should be featured more in this show or any other come to that matter. I watched this episode slightly worse for wear and think I lost the cat thing? How did the cat die? The transition of Lee to President was a tad predictable but the stepping down of Adama was not. And leaving Tigh in charge of the fleet considering current circumstances was a stroke of genius by Moore and Eick. I really had thought this season got off to a bad start but they came back kicking with the last 2 episodes. I liked they took a leaf out of Lost too by leaving the other character's fates hanging and not explaiing where the hell they jumped to or why? I am quite surprised this episode has fared so harsly with other viewers; it was by far the best episode this season and gave us some classic touching Adama moments. Now the season is back on track I am sure we will have some revolutionary viewing ahead of us. It always makes me chuckle when you consider this show was born of the camp Star Wars pastiche of the Glen Larson version and the fans who moan 'oh they've ruined it'. If television this strong is ruining something I'm all for it!
  • This will likely not be the harshest or cruelest review of this episode, seeing many would likely consider this one of the weak points of season 4.

    The prior episode ended with an amazing cliffhanger as the cylon alliance jumped with the president and Baltar (amongst some others). After a two week hiatus we all wanted to see where they went and if they were going to de-box Diana. However, instead we got a Lee storyline, and one that was hard to even care about. With President Roslin missing in action, the fleet is in turmoil and looking for a temporary replacement. That leads Lee to turn to Baltar's ex-attorney to bring up some deep but pointless conversations. Oh, and of course their is the ever over-used gun to important characters head scene, because we haven't seen enough of them yet this season. The second storyline is almost non-existent, and that would be the Commanders anguish at the missing president and an interesting twist with 6 and Tigh, which is barely even brought up. As a whole, if you skipped this episode you could understand the rest of this season likely very easily, and only because of some decent dialogue is this episode not rated even lower.
  • What the FRAK??

    Pardon my words, but it appears someone went to the bathroom, took a dump on the script, and then flushed it. What in the frak happened with this episode? Several problems to mention but mainly they revolve around the word Adama. It was out completely out of character for Bill Adama to leave the entire human race behind so he could jump the ship and look for Laura. Too many lives were at stake for his crush and I have not seen anything in previous episodes to make me think he would do something so moronic.

    Why would Bill Adama give up command to Col. Tigh after he displayed bad judgment in impregnating the Cylon prisoner and clearly not acting like himself? Did we really need to see the painful scene of the out of shape over the hill Admiral getting into a flight suit and getting into a raptor going on a suicide mission? How he is even expected to find the Galactica again? We really didn't need to see him return as "Husker": they may as well have put him in a viper and let him shoot down a bunch of Cylon raiders. Romo Lampkin...Was this just an episode to put him back in the story? I agree he is a great actor but I really think he is an unnecessary character. With 30,000 people alive struggling to survive do we really need lawyers? Lee Adama is now the President? Do we really need a president let alone a quorum of 12 with only 30,000 people alive? They really have a lot of people to represent. I totally agree with user zerbleflip...They need a mayor not a president. The only good thing about this episode is when Adama tells Tigh to put on his Admiral insignia but apparently he does not as we see at the end Tigh is still wearing his colonel insignia. Thank the gods!

    If you gave this episode a 10 you are an unforgivable fan boy and should be air locked because your brain has left your fraking body. Sorry to be harsh but I would suggest reviewing what you wrote.

    I really hope they will either say "we were just kidding about this episode" and show the real one or they will tie up all the awful new plot points in the next episode because they have just switched on the swirling suck machine. Please make it stop now!
  • While the President is away it's time for the men to play

    Despite containing a hell of a lot of plot advancement this episode felt slightly meaningless and much like filler. The idea of bringing back Romo Lampkin is great but he is kind of wasted here and it was obvious (even to himself) that Lee would be the perfect candidate for replacement President. He's only there to justify Lee's own self doubt that he can storm the castle, and that's not wholey satisfying. Neither is the sudden announcement that prisoner six is up the duff with Tigh's child (I forgot that they even shagged during his Ellen is six delusions). The scene feels slotted in there and the fight that follows feels a little out of character. Watching the previews when Tigh hits Adama you kind of think that it was going to be one of the Cylon illusions or more majorly Adama finding out that Tigh may be a Cylon. Nope that's not it at all. Although this will give us the first naturally born full Cylon if it goes ahead so more god plot advancement there.

    Lastly Id like to say that Adama's intentions of going after Roslin was just ridiculously stupid of him, especially as he left Tigh in charge. There is the mention from Tigh that he screwed up last time but no mention of the lack of trust following their fight. Also, given his dubious command choices in the past will everyone accept Tigh. Everyone just lets Adama go off by himself to find his women - Adama who is probably one of the most important people to the fleet. I'm just saying it felt out of character.
  • What the Hell?

    It's like Ronald Moore saw the cliff coming and said "f*** it" and hit the accelerator anyway. Adama and Tigh? Tigh and 6? Romo and the cat? Romo and Lee? The tediously predictable search for the next President. Adama promotes Tigh? Adama leaves Galatica to join a daytime soap opera? What the hell? It was if I was watching another show so jarring were the strained plot points and character inconsistencies. The fourth series was rocking along nicely until it hit this road bump. Now we await Saul to frack up (again) so Adama can reclaim the Actual tag after finding his girl.
  • The fleet is torn into chaos when the president is captured by the cylons. Admiral adama goes out to find Rosilen. Zarek trys to become president when Rosilen is missing but finds that admiral adama will not support him. Lee is chosen to be the president.

    This episode was the best. So many awesome things happened: admiral adama went after Rosilen, Lee became the president, Lampkin came back, and Tigh somehow got another cylon pregnant. The episode just kept your heart flying as it twisted and turned. I'm still curious how Tigh got six pregnant. Admiral adama looks bad ass in a viper. Tigh being the admiral was a good decision. I was getting a little tired of Adama. I hope he never finds the president. I hate it when there having all their talks. Its a good thing there was none of that in this episode. This episode deserves a 10. It rocked!
  • "This is Husker" ... Adamas are GO!

    This one was all about the boys and how they serve the women (real and metaphorical) that they love - Roslin (by taking to and the colonies.

    I loved how they brought the lawyer back - he has a wonderfully flawed character to go with that incredibly Occam-like intellect. His interaction with his cat was weird, and I prefer him with a dog.

    Bill is going insane in the search for Roslin - decides after an **AWESOME** fight with a daddy-to-be Tigh to risk his own life over that of his crew.

    Leaves Sol in charge - now that is gonna be one *heck* of a goldmine.

    Will be interesting to see how Lee handles the job of being president - and whether having to work with a deeply incompetent Tigh will drag him down. And how is Zarek going to take being shunned to VP (yet again)?!

    The trailer for next week promises a lot - and we all love to see that old Cylon get his ass handed to him - especially by the female models. Diana looks to be back - and if the suggestion of Roslin being a Cylon is remotely true, I will *flip out*.
  • A lot of set-up happens, but we still don't know exactly what happened to Roslin and Baltar.

    Six is PREGNANT?! That was a huge shock moment. And the look on Tigh's face when Adama was saying that he had changed was priceless. Especially because he has been trying so hard to stay the same man. And now he is in command, so that should be interesting. And for some reason, I found that "You know how many times I've had to repair this thing?" incredibly hilarious.

    Adama going after Roslin is very sweet, and a bit reminiscent of "You Can't Go Home Again", though this time he is listening to Roslin's advice and not putting the whole fleet at risk.

    I also LOVED the "What do you hear Starbuck" part. And speaking of Starbuck, she and Lee are actually in the same room! That is my one complaint with this season. Kara and Lee have had a total of three conversations; the one over the wireless when she first comes back, the one when they land and he hugs her, and the one in the cell. Not one word since then. Although they have had two eye-conversations I guess. But still. I really do miss that part.

    Lee, well yes it would be obvious that it was going to be him, but he is perfect for the job, and it should be interesting once Roslin gets back.

    But the thing with Lance was interesting. And having Jake return just made my day. That along with Lee's full name being Leland.

    Adama and Romo's conversation was wonderfully done, as were all the Bill and Tigh scenes.

    And next episode hopefully we shall find out what happened to Roslin, Baltar, and the baseship.
  • I'm not sure how to take this one.

    Given that there are very few episodes remaining (two more before the mid-season break and then about a dozen more in January 2009), I have to doubt the wisdom of investing yet another episode in little more than backroom political maneuvering and emotional self-indulgence. With the president and half of the fleet's defense force missing, the pressing concern is "Who will be our president?" and "My kinda-girlfriend is missing. I have to abandon my post." The priority, in my humble opinion, would be to FIND THEM rather than quibble about things that will be quite moot if the militant Cylons find you and most of your planes are gone.

    A man of Adama's experience and training would NEVER hand over command of the fleet to anyone under circumstances like this. In addition, given that the population of the human race is down to roughly 39 000 people, you don't need a president and a quorum of twelve. You need a mayor! They barely have people to populate a small town, yet they insist on having a governmental structure suitable for a population of billions. That has always been one detail about this show that has gnawed at me, but I've never really voiced it.
  • A filler episode the way filler episodes are supposed to be.

    Ok in the vain hope that someone is reading my post I'm going to give my early opinion of the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica, "Sin Qua Non". Ok alot happened and yet didn't happen. This is a filler episode in the true sense of the word. The best kind of filler episode where the plot doesn't change but the characters do. The pieces move and yet the story doesn't change.

    Point 1: Caprica Six is Pregnant and Saul Tigh is the daddy. How is this possible? Tigh is a Cylon, or more precisely a final fiver which means there is some leeway into the can't get pregnant thing. Then again with all the cylons becoming mortal it may actually change the rules. Anyway I find this extremely interesting.

    Point 2: Roslin is missing. With Roslin missing William Adama goes on a frantic search to find her. Ahhh love..... Finally he realizes he is putting the fleet at risk and steps down and puts Saul Tigh in charge....yes you heard that right. You see. he isn't willing to put the fleet in danger but that doesn't mean he's willing to let Roslin go, just yet.

    Point 3: Lee Adama becomes President. Ok this was the least interesting thing about the episode but still I found it intriguing. I saw it coming a mile away and yet I believed it when Limpkin came to the conclusion that Lee Adama was the only man who could be President. He was the shining beacon of hope....ahh hope....might just kick them all in the ass.

    Point 4: Athena killed Natalie (one of the sixes) and just might have put an end to whatever treaty might have been in the works. Bad bad Athena. She's in the brig now and its looking like she's loosing her mind. It's always fun watching a Cylon go crazy.

    Well there it is. Fun times for all.

    And next week.....ahhh the Threes (D'Anna Biers) are back in the game and it looks like she is naming one the final fives and it looks like its Roslin.

    Is this a fake out or a double fake out.

    An it can't be her, or is it an it can't be her so it has to be her?

    Ron Moore has really got to stop playing with my head.
  • "Watch the cat....."

    "Sine" is an odd episode. Coming on top of the last two episodes in particular, it seems strange to slip back into a set-up episode; yet that's exactly what we have - and in part, one must ask "why?".


    * The Cylon baseship has jumped away taking Roslin, Helo and around half of Galactica's defensive wing with it. The reserrection hub itself has also vanished, apparently stalling any hope of the mission against it

    *Adama believes the Athena's shooting of Natalie/Six is connected to the baseship's jump. Worse, he is obsessed with finding Laura Roslin, admitting to his son that he cannot go on without her. When he realises his actions are putting the fleet at risk, he relinquishes command to Saul Tigh and remains behind in a Raptor when the fleet jumps away, hoping the baseship will return to their assigned rendezvous

    * Thigh's relationship with Caprica/Six takes a new twist when it is revealed she is pregnant by him. The news brings Adama and Tigh to blows; an action that conversely brings Adama to his senses regarding the hunt for the baseship carrying Roslin

    * With Roslin out of the way, Zarek falls back into his old ways of rhetoric and brokering to secure his new-found position as "interim President" by sowing the seeds of doubt between the civilians and the military

    * Realising his father will never accept Zarek's administration, Lee Adama sets about finding an alternative interim civil leader (as the civil law allows), and he enlists Romo Lampkin in this endeavour

    * Romo Lampkin reveals himself to be both a man of conviction and a man deeply hurt - following his defence of Baltar, someone killed his cat, his one link with his past. When he circles back to the inevitable conslusion that one man, and one man alone - Lee Adama - can take over as President, he sets out with vengeance in mind

    * Lee Adama proves himself to possibly be a clever politico, selecting the one man who can be said to be so unbiased, his recommendation is bound to secure Lee the Presidency, despite his claims that high office is not what he seeks. Or it could be, as with so many things around Lee that by avoiding the hard six, he inevitably ends up rolling it: pilot or CAG to Battlestar commander, to Quorum member - positions he never really sought, but which he was destined to hold.


    Sine Quo Non is an oddly put together segment; in fact it is fair to say it is a disjointed segment, and for the first time this season, the show appears to stumble. That the segment is setting up further events to be played out in the future cannot be denied - and this isn't really the issue, per se. The issue is the manner in which the episode handles things.

    Sine Non Quo: "Without Which Not" is the title of the episode, and it may well be the explanation of why this episode is needed: without it, what is to follow would not hang together. Even so, one is still left with the feeling things could have been handled better.

    It is natural that Roslin's disappearance who fuel doubt and fear among the Quorum and the fleet as a whole; however, many of Zarek's actions don't entirely fit the frame. True we know him to be a ambitious, calculating, somewhat self-centred activist - but he has also proven himself to be a pragmatist and a savvy politico. With the latter in mind, his clumsy grab to secure the position of President - including his public running-down of the military and Roslin's administration - is vey much a transparent excuse to bring us to the point where Lee Adama is sworn-in as President.

    For that is one of the main thrusts of this show: to get Lee Adama into the office of President at the same time as his father withdraws from military leadership. It sets up a major new dynamic for the remaining half of the season, one which must inevitably be played out one way or another given Roslin's impending death. But using Tom Zarek so blatantly to achieve this end causes the set-up to ring somewhat hollow. Similarly, Adama's obsession with Roslin's safety - while an obvious verbalisation of what we have seen so subtlely shown in actions and looks over the last few episodes - also comes across as somewhat clumsy in its execution.

    Where the episode really shines is in the stunning relevation about Tigh and the now pregnant Caprica/Six. This turns a lot on its head. For a start, we now have a Cylon bearing a full-blooded Cylon child. Again, it seems to point at something of a difference between the platinum blonder variant of Six and her ashe blonde counterpart (exemplified by Natalie and gina) - the platinum variant seems far more obsessed with the concept of "love" and the need for procreation; it has been at the heart of her nature throughout - witness the fact that that Caprica/Six fell in love with Baltar; witness the outright jealousy the platinum blonde Six demonstrated on Caprica when Athena was selected to become pregnant by Helo; witnessed the sexual manner the platinum blonde greeted the captured Helo on Caprica and the original platinum blonde greeted the Colonial officer at Armistice Station...

    True, Gina used sexuality to get to Helena Cain....but this seems to have been altogether more subtle and only a means to an end; somewhat different to the platinum blonde Sixes. Could this possibly be significant? And if so, does it throw a new meaning on the Opera House visions?

    SQN also sees the welcome return of Romo Lampkin - now hired by Lee Adama to find an acceptable alternative to Tom Zarek following the disappearance of Laura Roslin. And Lampkin is not a well man, mentally. The hints of his hurt are perhaps the cleverest part of the episode - specifically through the use of his cat. Watch the episode closely and you'll see that throughout, while the cat appears to be much in evidence in Lampkin's quarters - only Lampkin himself sees it; it only appears in scenes where he alone is visible, and is totally absent in wider shots that include Lee Adama. Witness the scene where Lampkin is seated on the close-ups, the cat appears alongisde him as he fusses it - but in the wider shots of the cabin - that cat is entirely absent; indeed, Lee Adama sits where the cat was apparently curled on the bed! Later, the cat's absence is more heavily hinted at when Lee kicks the food bowl, commenting, "Don't you ever feed that cat - and where is it anyway?" He clearly doesn't see it, yet Lapkin does...

    This comes to a head as Lampkin draws his gun on Adama, intent on killing him in order to deny the fleet its last ray of hope - just as those who killed his cat denied him his one link with his past. It is this scene, along with the Tigh / Adama Snr scene that provides the heart of the episode in many ways. For one, it reveals that Lampkin is driven by his own moral code - one that ultimately saves Lee Adama and sees him sworn

    -in as President. At the same time it reveals something rarely seen in Lee Adama himself; a massive conviction in his own abilities and destiny - something Lampkin himself alludes to earlier on in the episode, and which emerges in such as way during the confrontation, that it appears to confirm Lampkin's view that while - publicly - Lee Adama has not appeared to seek out positions of authority, he is nevertheless ambitious enough to want them. And what of Lampkin? Several have suggested he might be the 5th Cylon. Certainl,y were this to be so, it would bring a symmetry to the proceedings - not least because of his defence of Baltar. And the Fifth Cylon would appear to be a unique individual - and Lampkin is certainly that. In this episode, we see no obvious signs towards him being the Final Cylon....but his unstable actions around his cat might be proof enough that in fact he is...or equally, that he is a brilliant, but flawed, human. Of all the events in this episode, the revelation that Caprica/Six is pregnant by Tigh is the most surprising in its implications. Here, apparently, is something the 7 have never tried - procreation among themselves...and yet which is perfectly possible. It also throws Hera's uniqueness into further question, as she is now far from unique: Nicky is a hybrid, and now there is a full-blooded Cylon child possibly on the way...

    And what of Roslin and the basestar...SQN gives a tantalising glimpse, but we'll have to wait for the next segment to find out what happened to the reserrection hub - and Roslin's basestar. That it was destroyed seems improbable...but we know the Centurians on the basestar were programmed to take over once the ship had jumped from the fleet...have they intervened, becoming a further force to contend with?

    Overall, SQN is an interesting episode; perhaps not as well-executed as pervious segments this season, but overall an enjoyable watch (allowing for the uneven editing) - the character interplay alone makes it very enjoyable, leaving aside the earlier critique of Zarek's role, and Thrace's unsual almost non-appearance. However, the greatest criticism that must be laid against this episode is that, coming on top of the careful layering of the earlier episodes of season 4, and then starting out on the pay-offs to all that careful set-up (as evidenced in "The Road...", "Faith" and "Guess What's..."), SQN is a very heavy-handed segment that teeters in places towards being out-of-character.
  • Zero Plot Development

    I was really excited about this episode after last weeks great show but it was a real disappointment. There was no follow up on any of the plotlines of interest from last week. We still don't know what is happening with the resurrection hub/ un-boxing of the D'Anna's/Opera house etc. There has been no fall out from Gaeta being shot by Anders or the mutiny. Suddenly Starback is back as CAG and seems to have lost all desire to find earth. It all feels a bit disjointed. With all these stories to tell it seems strange to dedicate a whole episode to Lee becoming temporary president (didn't see that one coming 3 minutes in) and his father deciding to abandon ship to wait in a Raider for Roslin et al to get back from their presumably far more interesting adventures. Oh and also Tigh got Capria Six pregnant which is nasty but apparently doesn't make him a questionable choice to lead the fleet while Bill has his little vacation. We have come a long way since Helo knocked Athena up haven't we, unfortunately it is in the wrong direction. The way things are going they will have to re-name the show Chattlestar Galactica
  • Two words to sum up this episode = Bad editing. Read on if you have seen the episode (possible spoilers!)

    After the brilliant episode of last week I had really high expectations for this one. Personally I don't think the main problem with this episode was the writing (well except for the last 5 mins - but I will get to that later), nor was it the directing (which was pretty good), but it was the bad editing. Every episode ive seen before of BSG, even the filler episodes, were carefully edited and flow very smoothly. Sadly this was not the case with this particular episode as I felt there were huge chunks missing in the story. I think the story could have been done in two episodes or maybe in an hour and half but definitely not in the 45mins they were allocated. The second major problem was the ending with Adama all alone on a raptor. I felt that he was very out of character for him to do that all alone. It also did not feel right how he was fist fighting Tigh and a bit later (it was about 10mins later on the show but there was no time scale in the episode to suggest how long) he gives Tigh command of Galactica. Tigh did object a little bit, but it felt like they were discussing the weather and not Adama stepping down.

    Clearly the writers are trying to build momentum for the next episode, but I think the way it was done was slightly poor towards the end. Personally if they really needed Adama on that baseship they could have let Roslin talk to him before leaving and he would insist on accompanying her and then the baseship jumps with Roslin and Adama on it. It felt very out of character the way they did it (and cheesy as well). Not to say the episode did not have its moments : the Adama and Tigh fight was amazing, Lampkin's dialogue was impressive, and the Natalie scene with very well directed. It just did not have the usual quality,particularly in the editing department and the writing in the end, that I would expect from this series.
  • More political talking and sentimental rubbish - spoilers in my review if you haven't watched it yet by the way.

    I gave this episode a 6, mostly because it falls way bellow it's usual high standards.

    This was essentially a political/legal episode which really makes no sense. The replacement/stand-in president? It doesn't take a genius to work out who it's going to be and amazingly, no-one in the quorum seems to mind either?

    This is the one thing that Battle Star falls down on quite often, making decisions and taking actions that are frankly stupid and outrageous.

    Leaving Adama to float around in a raptor amongst a load of Cylon debris.

    After the president is kidnapped, the next most senior commander/leader is allowed to bob about in a raptor with no protection?


    Leaving Sol in command after it turned out so well last time?

    Along with the decision, by Lee, to make himself president, this seems just crazy.

    A boring and nonsensical episode which is hopefully just setting us up for a bit of excitement in the next, can only hope.
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