From its turbulent beginning on occupied New Caprica where human suicide bombers struck at Cylon occupiers and their all too human collaborators to the shattering ending that revealed major figures in the crew were Cylons and undermined the morality of everything that had gone before, Season 3 was arguably Battlestar Galactica's most explosive season yet.

With its four opening episodes, "Battlestar Galactica" Season 3 began after the previous season's election of Baltar, the detonation of a nuclear device provided by Baltar to terrorists seeking accommodation with the Cylons (Battlestar Galactica's equivalent of Wing Commander's Mandarins), the settlement of New Caprica leaving the Galactica and the Pegasus with skeleton crews as most of the characters, including Chief Tyrol, Colonel Tigh, Kara Thrace and former President Roslin go down to settle the planet. This is followed by a Cylon invasion and the fall of New Caprica under Cylon rule.

Occupation

In the Season 3 premiere episode, "Occupation", we saw that the Battlestar Galactica had escaped the Cylon invasion along with the Pegasus, but had no way or plan for rescuing the surviving humans on New Caprica. We saw Colonel Tigh being tortured by the Cylons and we saw Starbuck facing a different kind of torture as she is kept imprisoned in an enforced domestic arrangement. Colonel Tigh is leading the human resistance against the Cylon occupation and resorting to increasingly violent and ruthless means to do so. Tigh and the resistance finally manage to make contact with the Galactica and plans are made for a rescue.

Precipice

The second episode of Season 3, "Precipice" sees the arrest of President Roslin and the violence growing as Conoy shows Kara a little girl, who he says is the product of one of her eggs fertilized by Conoy. Ellen Tigh, the wife of Colonel Tigh, has been compromised by the Cylons and has agreed to help them in return for the safety of her husband, which gives away the meeting point of the resistance and the Galactica landing party.Conoy succeeds in getting Kara to identify with the little girl as her daughter, when she is injured and rushed for medical treatment. Admiral Adama has befriended Sharon and entrusted her with the key assignment in the mission. The Cylons decide to execute 200 resistance figures, including Laura Roslin and force Baltar to sign the order. The prisoners are led out to be executed as gunfire begins.

Exodus Parts 1 and 2

The third and fourth episodes of Season 3 are the two part, "Exodus." The resistance and Galactica personnel make contact while under Cylon fire and rescue the prisoners, destroying the Cylon force. The Galactica and Pegasus split up their crews with the Galactica under Admiral Adama proceeding to evacuate the suvivors on New Caprica while the Pegasus goes off to preserve the rest of the human race on the civilian fleet. Sharon retrieves the ignition keys for the ships needed to evacuate the population of New Caprica.

Tigh learns about Ellen's collaboration and kills her. The Galactica begins the assault and the human resistance explodes full force. The Cylons plot to liquidate the remnants of the human population with a nuclear weapon but Number Three recovers Hera, suspending the planned detonation and Baltar and Caprica Six go with the Cylons. Lee Adama rescues the Galactica by absorbing enemy fire and finally ramming the Pegasus into a Basestar. Kara realizes the little girl is not her daughter, but that of a colonist on the planet.

Collaborators

"Collaborators", Season 3's fifth episode and the first to wholly take place on Galactica again, shows Colonel Tigh, Starbuck and some other New Caprica survivors meting out revenge to those they consider Cylon collaborators by murdering them, under a dictate from Baltar's Vice President Zarek.

Torn

Baltar attempts to make himself useful to his new Cylon hosts by exploring the cause of a virus that is destroying Cylons. Sharon becomes a full fledged pilot on Galactica while Tigh and Starbuck remain more embittered than ever forcing Admiral Adama to intervene violently against them.

A Measure of Salvation

With the virus in the hands of the Galactica crew, Lee and Admiral Adama plan to deploy it through the Cylon race by executing their Cylon prisoners within range of a Resurrection Ship, enabling the virus to be downloaded in every resurrecting Cylon. Helo however sabotages this plan by arranging for the premature deaths of the Cylon prisoners.

Hero

A pilot long imprisoned by the Cylons, who once served under Adama, believes himself to have escaped, when in reality he has been freed by the Cylons in order to learn the truth about his capture, that it had been caused by Admiral Adama.

Unfinished Business

A round of boxing matches brings out turbulent violence as buried resentments and emotions surface, including Adama's anger at himself for softening up and allowing the crew to go down to the planet and Lee and Starbuck's mutually frustrated relationship that was nearly consummated back on New Caprica before Starbuck deserted Lee.

The Passage

"The Passage" gives Kat a backstory as Sasha, a former smuggler whom Starbuck accuses of possibly playing a role in the Cylon invasion. With food supplies running low, pilots are needed to guide the civilian ships through a star cluster and to a planet where food resources can be harvested. Kat's overexposure to radiation through her heroic efforts to continue flying eventually and inevitably kills her.

The Eye of Jupiter

On the planet, Chief Tyrol finds the Temple of the Eye of Jupiter that also reveals the final five Cylons. The Cylons meanwhile approach the planet leading to a standoff that is taken to a new level when Number Three and Baltar fly toward the planet as Admiral Adama prepares to destroy it, rather than allow the Cylons to gain the location of Earth. Starbuck is shot down leading to tension between Lee Adama and Anders on the planet below.

Rapture

Helo has to kill Athena to get her on board the Cylon ship and retrieve her baby. Six and Athena help abduct Hera from the Cylon ship. On the planet below Number Three and Baltar reach the temple and she receives a vision of the Final Five, only to perish and have her entire line boxed up. A supernova destroys the planet and Baltar who has been left on his own is captured by Chief Tyrol.

Taking a Break From All Your Worries

Under Adama's orders, attempts are made to break Baltar's resistance by subjecting him to hallucinatory experiences via a military drug. In the hallucinations Baltar is informed that he is not a Cylon at all and not special, merely human. Gaeta meanwhile attempts to assassinate Baltar.

The Woman King

When coping with the medical problems of a number of civilians living on Galactica, Helo investigates and learns that Dr. Robert is deliberately infecting and killing Sagittaron patients for reasons of bigotry and saves Dee before she dies as well.

A Day in the Life

Admiral Adama has flashbacks of his troubled marriage and visions of his ex-wife on their anniversary. Repairs on the Galactica result in Chief Tyrol and his wife Cally becoming trapped in a compartment leaking air and the only way for them to survive is to jump into outer space, without a suit.

Dirty Hands

Former union leader Chief Tyrol is sent to manage the refinement of Tylium on the refinery ship only to discover that the workers operate under miserable and dangerous conditions, that children work alongside the adults and begins to question a system in which the disadvantaged lead lives like these, while Capricans hold positions of importance. Partly inspired by Baltar's new revolutionary manifesto, Tyrol attempts to lead a strike, but this is quickly terminated when Admiral Adama threatens to murder Cally.

Maelstrom

Kara reflects on her past with her mother and appears to have come to the end of the road. Threatened by the return of Conoy, she begins making arrangements for her death and appears to die as her ships explodes in the atmosphere.

The Son Also Rises

An assignment to protect Baltar's lawyer leads to Lee Adama joining Baltar's defense team. The saboteur responsible for the murder of Baltar's former attorney is caught after another assassination attempt.

Crossroads Part 1 and 2

As President Roslin continues experiencing troubling dreams that she telepathically shares with Caprica Six and Athena, the trial of Baltar gets underway. Baltar's attorney with Lee's help conducts an aggressive defense that causes Tigh to reveal the murder of his wife and President Roslin to reveal that she has cancer, even as Baltar appears to be at the center of a cult worshiping him and soliciting his blessings. Lee achieves Baltar's freedom by delivering a speech arguing that everyone is guilty and Baltar is only being used as a scapegoat.

Anders, Tigh, Chief Tyrol and Tory begin hearing a peculiar music that leads them finally to the revelation that they are all Cylons. The Galactica loses power as an enemy Cylon forces arrives. Lee Adama drops his role as lawyer and flies out to confront the enemy only to encounter Starbuck who informs him that she had found Earth.