Battlestar Galactica “Resistance”

Cool: Boomer’s public assassination by Cally as she’s being led in handcuffs by authorities through a crowd of people. Any similarity to the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald is strictly intentional. Bonus points for the stricken look on Chief Tyrol’s face as Boomer dies in his arms, making it clear he really did love Boomer, Cylon circuitry and all.

Cooler: Baltar’s shockingly ruthless decision to fatally poison Chief Tyrol as a way to extort from Boomer’s Cylon subconscious the number of Cylon agents on Galactica – i.e. if she didn’t tell Baltar the truth, he’d let Tyrol die. A truly sweaty, powerhouse moment, the kind of thing one expects on 24 not the Sci-Fi Channel. Whether or not Boomer was telling the truth – she said there are eight Cylons on board – remains to be seen.

Coolest: The series’ growing web of political intrigue involving double agents and witch hunts and splintering governments and resistance fighters and declarations of martial law is nothing short of captivating. This is what science fiction (think Star Trek) excels at: using a future setting to comment on our own present. The show seems to really be hitting its stride now.

Best Line: “So. What’s happening on my ship?” – Adama, after shuffling from the infirmary to make a surprise appearance in Tigh’s quarters just moments after Tigh let prisoners Roslin and Apollo successfully escape Galactica to re-establish the colonial government in exile.

Falling: Billy – Roslin and Dee sure are into this guy, but what does he bring to the table besides puppy-dog loyalty? He always looks so bewildered. Here he decides to stay on Galactica and not follow Roslin into the breach of wrongdoing. Whatever. Who cares?

Rising: Baltar – Even though his unconventional “interrogation” of Boomer was done mostly to save himself (e.g. he exonerated the Chief in order to appease Cally, who demanded his help in return for her continued silence regarding the Crashdown incident on Kobol), the fact that he can be so resourceful and cold-blooded suggests an interesting future for this character regardless of which side he ultimately aligns himself with. One wonders, though, how much longer he can straddle the line between humanity and Cylons.

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