Battlestar Galactica Season 2 An Overview

Season Two of Battlestar Galactica, the reimagined version, was without a doubt its best season. From the shock ending of Season 1 that saw Commander Adama shot and in critical condition after a victory over the Cylons, Season 2 took us through Colonel Tigh's command of the fleet and martial law to Starbuck's mission to Caprica, the showdown between Commander Adama and President Roslin, the first splitting of the fleet, the first arrival of another Battlestar and crew commanded by a higher ranking Admiral, the uncovering of a Cylon peace movement in the fleet, the discovery of New Caprica, the election of Baltar as President of the Colonies followed by the human settlement of New Caprica and the Cylon invasion.

It's an incredible amount to shove into a single season and Season Two of Battlestar Galactica was an incredible season, with relationships between the characters that seemed perpetually unstable and in flux, revelations and turnovers that constantly changed the entire picture and set the tone for what was to follow.

Scattered

With Commander Adama having been shot and wounded by Sharon, acting under Cylon programming, Colonel Tigh has taken command of the Battlestar Galactica as well as the rest of the fleet. Apollo and President Roslin have both been imprisoned as Colonel Tigh wildly swings around his authority and brings about increasingly disaster as the fleet becomes split from Galactica and the ship is exposed to a Cylon virus.

Valley of Darkness

Cylons have boarded the crippled Galactica and are making their way through the ship intending to take control of it and open fire on the rest of the fleet. A desperate battle ensues, made worse by poor communications and a confused chain of command.

Fragged

Chief Tyrol, Cally, Baltar and Lt. Crashdown, who have been trapped on Kobol, await rescue, but Lt. Crashdown's plan to attack a Cylon position seems doomed. Conflict breaks out among the group when Lt. Crashdown points his weapon at Cally... an act that will be repeated by Admiral Adama in the Season 3 episode "Dirty Hands". On Battlestar Galactica, Colonel Tigh is following the advice of his wife Ellen Tigh, who props up his ego and stages a viewing of President Roslin meant to undermine her authority-- which instead gives President Roslin a forum for proclaiming her vision.

Resistance

Colonel Tigh, who never had much use for civilian political authority, has imposed martial law on the fleet subverting the fleet's democracy. When some civilian ships retaliate by refusing to supply Galactica, Colonel Tigh attempts to use force which results in a shooting of civilian protesters. On Caprica, Starbuck and Helo make contact with the remains of the human resistance and Tyrol returns to Galactica to face imprisonment and a beating by Tigh and possible execution unless Cally can use the secret of Baltar's murder of Lt. Crashdown to save him.

The Farm

President Roslin and Commander Adama unwilling split the fleet, as having made her escape, Roslin calls on all true believers to follow her to Kobol. Meanwhile Starbuck is wounded in a Cylon ambush and wakes up to find herself in a Cylon facility carrying out reproductive experiments on human women-- disguised as a resistance hospital.

Home I

With the fleet split between President Roslin's group and Galactica's, the two fleets appear prepared to pursue separate destinies. Starbuck and Helo come bearing the Arrow of Apollo, but Boomer-- the future Athena's-- presence among them creates tensions among the group.

Home 2

Determined now to reunite the fleet, Admiral Adama approaches Kobol determined to force a reunification by friendly or unfriendly means. Together the group enters the Tomb of Athena and receives the location of earth. Boomer, the future Athena, demonstrates her loyalty to Commander Adama by preventing an assassination attempt against him and Roslin.

Final Cut

In order to improve the image of the military after Tigh's shootings, a skeptical reporter who aired footage of the attack is given the chance to do a documentary on Galactica's personnel. While her documentary is sympathetic to the problems the men and women on board Galactica face-- she proves to be a Cylon skinjob.

Flight of the Pheonix

Chief Tyrol works on a project of his own making, constructing a Blackbird fighter invisible to detection while Boomer saves Galactica from a Cylon virus by plugging into the Galactica's computers.

Pegasus

The arrival of the Pegasus with Admiral Cain on board creates tensions with Commander Adama, especially once it's learned that Admiral Cain stripped civilian ships of material and personnel, before leaving them to die. On board the Pegasus, a Number Six has been brutally raped and tortured and when the same treatment is prescribed for Boomer, Tyrol and Helo intervene resulting in a murder charge against them. Admiral Cain sentences them to death, resulting in an armed showdown between the two ships.

Resurrection Ship 1

Using the Blackbird constructed in "Flight of the Pheonix", Kara Thrace has performed her own reconnisance and gotten close up images of the Cylon Resurrection Ship-- momentarily defusing tensions between the two fleets. The Resurrection Ship permits Cylons who die within its range, to return to life again by being downloaded into new bodies.

Resurrection Ship 2

The joint attack on the Resurrection Ship succeeds and in its aftermath, Commander Adama and Admiral Cain prepare to assassinate the other. Neither however are prepared to embrace that abyss. Instead Baltar, who has befriended the Number Six on board the Pegasus, frees her, enabling her to murder Admiral Cain. In the wake of her death and funeral, President Roslin promotes Commander Adama to Admiral -- in order to give him complete military command authority.

Epiphanies

President Roslin appears to be dying and drawing close to death and experiences visions showing her Baltar with Number Six on Caprica. Boomer and Helo's unborn baby, whose execution she orders, however proves to hold the key to her cure. Meanwhile a secret organization within the fleet determined to make peace with the Cylons at any price is carrying out terrorist attacks against the war effort. Baltar, learning of President Roslin's own distrust of him, turns over a nuclear warhead he had solicited from Commander Adama in the first season in a fraudulent effort to construct a Cylon detector-- over to the Pro-Cylon terrorists.

Black Market

The murder of Pegasus' commanding officer exposes the thriving black market in both goods and people, as Apollo balances his investigation of the murder and the black market, with his patronizing of a prostitute whose young daughter is being held on board the Prometheus, center of the black market.

Scar

Starbuck and Kat are both determined to hunt down and kill the Cylon raider they have termed 'Scar', who has already claimed the lives of Viper pilots before them.

Sacrifice

A group demanding the handover and execution of Athena creates a hostage situation, seizing Apollo and Colonel Tigh's wife among others. A rescue attempt by Starbuck backfires, instead leading to her shooting of Apollo. Admiral Adama attempts to trick them with the body of Boomer, who had already been shot by Cally, followed by another rescue operation which costs the life of President Roslin's aide.

The Captain's Hand

The new Pegasus commander is more engineer than ship captain and leads Pegasus into a Cylon trap. He then sacrifices his life to save Pegasus leaving Apollo in command of the ship. Meanwhile President Roslin's attempt to ban abortion provides fertile ground for Baltar to announce his own election bid.

Downloaded

Back on Caprica, the original Number Six and Boomer cope with life among the Cylons. On Galactica, Athena goes into labor and gives birth but on President Roslin's orders the baby is secretely hidden and Helo and Athena are told that she died.

Lay Down Your Burdens 1

The discovery of a planet hidden from discovery revives Baltar and Zarek's Presidential campaign as Baltar proposes to settle it, while President Roslin is against. Starbuck's rescue attempt of the remaining resistance fighters on Caprica ends in yet another ambush as the remaining resistance fighters meet her while on the run from an incoming Cylon attack.

Lay Down Your Burdens 2

Brother Cavil, who proves to be a Cylon skinjob offers humanity a truce while the Cylons pursue other goals. Certain that Baltar is working for the Cylons, Roslin is determined to win by any means but her attempt at stealing the election goes awry when Admiral Adama refuses to go along. Baltar is elected President and the rescued Number Six aboard Cloud Nine detonations the nuclear device he gave her, resulting in more destruction and death. Human settlement continues on Caprica, but with little progress made under Baltar's administration, who wastes his time pursuing personal pleasures. Alerted by the nuclear detonation, the Cylons arrive and overrun New Caprica.