Episode Name: The Hub
Episode Number: 409
Written by: Jane Espenson
Directed by: Paul Edwards
Original Air Date: 6/6/08 on SciFi Channel
Population: 39,673
Original US airdate June 2008 (Battlestar Wiki). The episode takes place concurrently with "Sine Qua Non"
Thanks for capping, creative muse!
Synopsis:
"Pursuing the Resurrection Hub at the whim of the Hybrid, a team of Viper pilots and Cylon rebels become uneasy collaborators as they formulate a battle plan to unbox the Threes and destroy Cylon resurrection forever. Meanwhile, Roslin and Baltar try desperately to communicate with the panicking Hybrid and Helo discovers a disturbing characteristic within one of the Eights."
There were only two big revelations in this episode. The first was made to Laura Roslin, where a hopped-up- on-morpha Baltar confesses his involvement in the destruction of The Colonies. For this she attempts to murder him.
The second revelation is that, according to the number Three, D'Anna, Roslin is not the final Cylon.
Number Three answering Laura Roslin's question:
- D'Anna Biers: Suppose you've got some questions for me.
- Roslin: Yes I do. I'd like to talk about the five Cylons in my fleet.
- Biers: So you know about the Final Five?
- Roslin: I know they're supposed to know the way to Earth.
- Biers: But you don't know that you're one of them.
- [Roslin freezes shocked]
- Biers: [Bursting out laughing] Please your face! [Roslin looks relieved and smirks] Oh, it's ridiculous. No. Look, I'm not giving you any names. Not until I feel like I'm safe. 'Cause information is all I got, sweetie.
- Roslin: Yes I do. I'd like to talk about the five Cylons in my fleet.
Picking up where the last events of "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" ended, Laura Roslin, Karl “Helo” Agathon, and Gaius Baltar are brought before the rebel Cylon basestar's Hybrid. After a Number Eight reconnects the basestar’s Hybrid, it unexpectedly jumps the ship.
During the jump, Laura Roslin finds herself in empty corridors of the Galactica. As she looks around, the deceased priestess Elosha appears behind her. They hug, but the vision stops at the moment the jump completes with Laura finding herself back in the Hybrid's room.
Roslin asks questions about the Hybrid's abilities as the Eight tries to get information from the data-font, but the Hybrid jumps the ship again (and again and again), and Roslin finds herself yet again in the company of Elosha on the empty Galactica.
The two end up in sickbay where they find the sole patient–Laura Roslin--near death.
The Eight determines that the Hybrid is "panicking" due to Natalie’s injury or death. Gaius Baltar tries to calm her claiming that the Hybrid “likes” him, but after a few moments, the Hybrid jumps again. Roslin's vision continues, and she sees Kara Thrace, Doc Cottle, and Bill and Lee Adama standing over her death bed.
Elosha speaks to the dying Roslin, chastising her for her lack of empathy.
talk to the Hybrid about the Opera House vision. Neither meets with success.
The Eight tells Helo that the Hybrid is following the Resurrection Hub and discusses an attack strategy with him.
They tell her of the Cylon Civil War and appeal to her to help through her knowledge of the Final Five.
Three makes a disparaging remark about the Eights' , capriciousness, commenting on Cavil's pronouncement about the Eight model's tendency to be "passionate allies"-- "until they see something shiny."
Three snapping Cavil's neck.
In the basestar hangar, Helo and an Eight give a mission briefing to a number of Sixes, Eights and Colonial pilots. Several pilots, including "Redwing" McKay and "Gonzo" Pike, express concerns about their safety and the reliability of the Cylon pilots.
A Six retorts that the rebel pilots are just as well trained as the humans, and the Eight reminds them that they learned to trust Athena, so they can also trust their rebel allies.
After a jump, Baltar begins talking to a Centurian about hierarchy and religion, asserting that the Centurion is loved by God as well. Soon after, they are both blown up.
On the Resurrection Hub, Boomer comments with alarm on the arrival of the rebel basestar. Cavil tries to convince Number Three to talk to the rebels and defuse the conflict, but she replies curtly and threatens to "shout out the names" of the Final Five.
Boomer reports that the rebel basestar has launched 25 Heavy Raiders. Outside the Hub, the Heavy Raiders release the Vipers they have been towing behind them. The Raiders attack defending basestars, while the Vipers head towards the Hub.
Cavil deduces that the rebels are attempting to destroy the Hub... and that would make death permanent for Cylons. On hearing this Three breaks Cavil's neck and Boomer flees.
Missiles take out the FTL drive on the Hub. Helo and the Eight head towards the Hub in a Raptor. On the Hub, they encounter the D'Anna Biers and the dead Cavil.
Baltar continues to to blather on about Centurian rights, but as the basestar is hit by a missile salvo, the explosion destroys the Centurion and seriously injures Baltar.
Baltar is carried to a bed by two Marines while Roslin carries in a medkit. Roslin orders them out, bandaging Baltar and injecting him with morpha. In his drug-addled state Baltar talks to Roslin about religion, telling her that he once harbored terrible guilt....he tells Roslin that he unwittingly gave the Cylons the access codes prior to the fall of the Twelve Colonies.
Shocked by Baltar's confession, Roslin tries to kill Baltar by removing his bandages. As he loses blood he repeatedly begs her to stop.
Helo announces that he has D'Anna Biers and orders a nuclear strike on the Hub. The Vipers fire nuclear missiles into the Hub, destroying it and at least one of the two enemy basestars.
Quote:
D'Anna Biers: And with a whimper, every Cylon in the universe begins to die.
Baltar continues to beg for his life.
There is another jump. In Roslin's vision, William Adama stands over a dying Roslin, while Roslin and Elosha watch them.
In Roslin's vision, as Roslin and Elosha watch Adama stand over a dying Roslin:
Believing that by saving Baltar she'd save humanity, Laura desperately checks to see if he's still breathing. Finding Baltar still alive, Roslin starts to re-bandage him.
Helo brings D'Anna to Roslin... When asked about the Final Five, she jokes that Laura Roslin is one of them--->provoking this reaction from Roslin:
D'anna refuses to provide any information until she feels she is safe; the information being the only thing she has now that she is the only Three left in the universe. She also appears to have a really bad headache.
She says she will tell Roslin who the Final Five are after she is taken back to the human Fleet.
Later, Roslin sits alone listening to the Hybrid. As the Hybrid jumps she has a final encounter with the dead priestess, Elosha.
Roslin and Adama tenderly greeting each other on the basestar's hangar deck:
Adama: Missed you.
Roslin: Me too.
Roslin [Embracing Adama]: I love you.
Thoughts:
The whole Laura and Bill scene was so satisfying. Despite all the other heavy action going on this scene grabbed me the most by far. Two stellar actors playing out the moment we've (they've?) been waiting for for years.
It was beautifully done--except
Rant/ why did we have to have the stoopid nod to Star-stoopid-Wars and Adama not returning Laura's "I love you"??? She's on the verge of death, people! Unspoken words are not going to cut it. Haven't you heard about "saying" the words?" Laura had to have that hammered into her thick head by a dead person. What does Bill need?!
Why do the fanboy showrunners not know how to write a decent love scene??? This has frustrated me to no end and in this scene I was satisfied in part just because they have given us so little to hold onto with these two that this made up for all the scenes we got cheated out of./end rant
Lucy Lawless was flawless ;) as D'Anna Biers. She just eats up every scene she's in. Funny, cynical, strong, and vicious--D'Anna is all of these and more.
Stuff:
-Save for for Roslin's visions, this is the first episode of the series in which nothing takes place on or near Galactica.
-There is now only one Number Three in existence, and any possibility of the others has been lost--in fact, with the destruction of the Resurrection Hub, all the humanoid Cylons have permanently lost the ability to download into new bodies.
-As previously shown in "The Farm," Heavy Raiders are piloted by humanoid Cylons (unlike the smaller self-directed Raiders).
-Roslin enters a vertigo-like, hallucinatory trance state as the basestar jumps repeatedly.
Guest stars
Tahmoh Penikett as Captain Karl Agathon
Lucy Lawless as Number Three / D'Anna Biers
Callum Keith Rennie as Number Two / Leoben Conoy (credited only)
Donnelly Rhodes as Doc Cottle
Dean Stockwell as Number One / Cavil
Jennifer Halley as Ensign Diana "Hardball" Seelix
Tiffany Lyndall-Knight as Hybrid
Bodie Olmos as Lieutenant Brendan "Hotdog" Costanza
Ryan McDonell as Lieutenant Eammon "Gonzo" Pike
Lee Jefferies as Lieutenant Paolo "Redwing" McKay
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