Precipice

"Precipice" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No.	Season 3, Episode 1.5
Writer(s)	Ronald D. Moore
Story by
Director	Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	2006-10-06
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate
DVD release
Population	? survivors
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Occupation	Precipice	Exodus, Part I
Related Information
Official Summary
R&D Skit – View
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Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
			@ BW Media
Promotional Materials
Online Purchasing
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Overview

The Cylons have occupied the human settlement of New Caprica, and it's been three months since the Galactica, the Pegasus, and a handful of ships escaped into deep space. But the fight is not over. On New Caprica, a resistance has begun — and despite having only a handful of untested pilots at his command, Admiral Adama is committed to risking everything on a daring attack to rescue the people he left behind.

Summary

• Baltar visits Roslin in her dentention cell to discuss the suicide-bombimgs, after which he releases her.
• Colonel Tigh is running the resistance effort, with Tyrol and Anders acting as his second in command officers.
• After sending Duck in on a suicide bomb run in an effort to kill Baltar, the Cylons begin a crackdown and round up random civilians.
• Gaeta continues to give information to the resistance, though Tyrol is unaware that Gaeta is his source inside the presidency. Tyrol calls Gaeta a collaborator.
• Every day a Raptor jumps in and listens for a wireless broadcast. With the list of jamming frequencies provided by Gaeta, Tyrol manages to contact the Colonial Fleet.
• Adama swears in Sharon as an officer and sends her down to New Caprica to help the resistance.
• Anders and a crew meets Sharon in a canyon outside of town after she jumps in inside the planetary atmosphere.
• Ellen Tigh, after being threatened with more harm to Colonel Tigh, gives the Cylons information on where the meeting is to take place. Sharon and Anders are ambushed by Cylon Centurions.
• The Cylons force Baltar to sign an execution order for 200 civilians, including Cally, Roslin and Zarek after another suicide bomber takes out the power plant. The detainees are transported outside the city.
• While stopping to ostensibly let the detainees stretch their legs, Jammer cuts Cally's bonds and tells her to run and not look back. Just as she gets away, Centurions show up to execute the detainees with Zarek pulling Roslyn away from the front of the crowd. As Cally runs through the forest, the sound of automatic gunfire rings out.

Questions

• If Sharon Agathon is killed during her mission on New Caprica, will she be able to download into a new body?
• Where will Cally be able to run to? She was ordered to face execution by the Colonial Government.
• Why did the Cylons abandon their plan for a public execution? More Importantly, if we are to assume that the gun fire at the end of the episode is not from the Centurions, who then?
  • There is the possibility, however remote, that it was the New Caprica Police who opened fire on the Centurions. However, story-wise that might be a cop-out, and it is unlikely that the NCP would take such action, Jammer's release of Cally not withstanding.
• What is the role of the five unseen Cylon models in the occupation? Are they present and simply remaining off-camera for the benefit of the audience? Have they attempted to hide themselves from the Colonials?
• Cally Henderson and Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy) both took their husbands' names upon marriage, as did Ellen Tigh, Caroline Adama and Sesha Abinell. Are Anastasia Dualla and Kara Thrace now Anastasia Adama, and Kara Anders, respectively?
• What is the relationship between Caprica-Six's shooting and the reappearance of Baltar's Internal Six?
  • It is possible that two events are not directly related. The reappearance was not immediate, but happened after Doral and Cavil continued to threaten Baltar with death. Since Caprica-Six's support was gone, Baltar was under severe stress and thought that he might likely die. Internal Six has shown a tendency to appear at those times, especially if Baltar's survival is at stake.
• Now that the Battlestar Sharon has landed on the surface of New Caprica, how can she be distingushed from other Sharons there?
  • Other than her flight suit, it remains unclear how Galactica-Sharon will be distinguished from other Eights.

Analysis

• We learn a little bit more about the nature of the various humanoid Cylons here. Apparently a single copy is usually qualified to speak for its entire model. Interestingly, Caprica-Six was unable to dissuade her "sisters" from voting to execute the dissidents.
• As one of the Cavils notes, adherence to the Cylon creed has become increasingly perfunctory. The Cylons sought the President's signature as a mere formality.
• If Leoben's story is true, Kacey can't be older than 16 months. As of this episode, it has been about 27 months since the fall of the colonies. Kara's incarceration at the Farm on Caprica took place about two months after the fall of the colonies.
• Even if Ellen's actions are as reprehensible as ever, her motivations this time around are rather more laudable. These two episodes seem to indicate that she truly does care for her husband.

Notes

• "Occupation" and "Precipice" is edited as one 2-hr episode with only one intro. However, in the podcast, Ronald D. Moore indicates the "beginning" of "Precipice" as the scene with Baltar and Roslin in the detention cell.
• In the podcast, Ronald D. Moore states that references to "The Twist" and "The Swirl" are a homage to Seinfeld. The episode in question is "The Fusille Jerry".
• Felix Gaeta's given name, first revealed in "Final Cut", is spoken out loud for the first time.
• Caprica-Sharon has married Karl Agathon and taken his last name. She continues to be confined to her cell, but it has been decorated and furnished. Ironically enough, she still calls him "Helo".
• Sharon Agathon and William Adama have continued to develop the rapport which they established in "Resurrection Ship, Part II". In this episode, he comissions her as a lieutenant and apparently releases her from her cell.
• Anders and Caprica-Sharon last saw each other at the end of "The Farm", although it's possible that they had a reunion after his rescue from Caprica and before his settlement on New Caprica.
• Number Three's claim that Caprica-Six's assault on her was the first case of Cylon-on-Cylon violence in their history is not really true. Sharon Agathon shot and "killed" another Eight outside the Delphi spaceport on Caprica. The Cylons may not look on this in the same light because it was within one model. Alternatively, Number Eight may have been unable to identify her shooter. This is plausible because she was looking at Helo when she was shot, and afterwards could only stare up into the sky for a few seconds before dying and presumably downloading.
  • Actually, Sharon Agathon also shot a Six previous to that, but we may presume that Six consented as part of the Cylons' plan for Helo.
• Ironically, a Five shoots Caprica-Six in the head shortly after Three's statement. Cavil indicates, however, that she won't be "boxed", as Caprica feared in "Downloaded".
• The shooting of the captives and Cally's escape at the end of the episode are an homage to The Great Escape.
• Baltar's Internal Six appears only after Caprica-Six is killed.
• This episode has the second highest number of Guest Stars. The highest being the Miniseries.

Noteworthy Dialogue

• After being arrested, held without charge and carted to a remote location:

Tom Zarek: Laura.. That election last year. You tried to steal it, didn't you?

Laura Roslin: Yes, Tom. I did.

Tom Zarek: (laughs) Ah... I wish you'd gone through with it.

Guest Stars

• Lucy Lawless as Number Three
• Matthew Bennett as Number Five
• Callum Keith Rennie as Leoben Conoy
• Rick Worthy as Simon
• Dean Stockwell as Cavil
• Richard Hatch as Tom Zarek
• Alessandro Juliani as Felix Gaeta
• Luciana Carro as Lt. Louanne Katraine (Kat)
• Leah Cairns as Lt. Margaret Edmondson (Racetrack)
• Tahmoh Penikett as Lt. Karl Agathon (Helo)
• Christian Tessier as Tucker Clellan (Duck)
• Nicki Clyne as Cally Henderson Tyrol
• Aaron Douglas as Galen Tyrol
• Michael Trucco as Samuel Anders
• Kandyse McClure as Anastasia Dualla
• Dominic Zamprogna as James Lyman (Jammer)
• Brad Dryborough as Lt. Hoshi
• Rekha Sharma as Tory Foster
• Michael Hogan as Saul Tigh
• Kate Vernon as Ellen Tigh