My Top 12 BSG Moments
Okay, it's only one and half weeks till the final act of BSG begins and already I can't contain excitement. So I'm celebrating the TEN DAYS countdown to new BSG with a list/picspam of my 12 favourite BSG moments; one for each of the 12 colonies of Kobol and the (soon to be) 12 cylon models.
12. Starbuck Toasts the Lost Pilots (Scar)
Earlier in this episode, a drunken Starbuck says she can't really remember the names all the pilots they've lost since the attacks. But after losing her wager to Kat, we see a very humbled Starbuck raising her bottle and naming every single one of Galactica's dead pilots - a very long painful list of names. She silences the whole mess. It's such a harrowing moment.
11. The Toilet Scene (Six Degrees of Seperation)
There really aren't that many memorable comedy moments in BSG, but the toilet scene where Baltar harasses Gaeta through the cubicle walls with the "No more Mr Nice Gaius!" oath at the end still makes me giggle.
10. The Christening of the Blackbird (Flight of the Phoenix)
The building of Chief's Blackbird is so good for the crew's morale, not to mention the viewer's morale. I love the Christening scene where they reveal that they named the ship 'Laura' and dear old Roslin wells up. I also love the gag when she threatens to smash the bottle and everyone wets their pants, because it's the last bottle of champayne in the universe or something. Classic Roslin.
9. Lee’s Trial Speech (Crossroads II)
I've never been the biggest Apollo fan, but I'll admit that I got a tear in my eye when it becomes clear that Lee has never stopped feeling guilty about the Olympic Carrier. His speech really encaptulates the entire journey so far and everyones mistakes along the way. I don't know what I love more; seeing Lee rediscover his voice and his morality, or all of Romo Lampkin's sly looks which tell you he is playing the younger Adama like a fiddle.
8. The Escape from Kobol (Fragged)
'Fragged' is the most underrated episode. I have to say this is the first time I really sat up and felt frightened for the character's survival. The Kobol landing party is mostly made up of young Knuckledraggers who don't really know how to fire a gun. After Crashdown gets fragged by Baltar, they are running for their lives. Bullets are ripping up the dirt around them and it's terrifying. I'm always so relieved when the pilots show up.
7. Adama Reuniting the Fleet (Home I)
I love it when the Old Man swallows his pride and pledges to put the fleet (his family) back together. The Adama theme music swells to a beautiful crescendo and you can feel the satification that sweeps over the CIC. I especially love Dee's touched reaction as she realises that the Commander has listened to her; that her opinion really counts for something. So lovely.
6. My Triumphs, My Mistakes... (Dirty Hands)
When we find out that Baltar has been writing a manifesto from his prison cell it's really the start of his new role as a cult leader. I love the moment when Baltar speaks to Chief in his old accent and tells the story of how he was a farm boy born and raised on the poor colony of Aerlon. Callis plays it brilliantly. This is when Baltar stopped being my guilty pleasure character and started to become a really dynamic force within the story.
5. The Death of Ellen Tigh (Exodus II)
In S1/2 the Tighs were the characters that I loved to hate. But when it came to the New Caprica arc, Saul losing his eye in detention and Ellen whoring herself to Cavil to get him out...my heart was breaking for them. Under all the mess, Saul and Ellen really did love each other. The scene where Saul poisons his wife after Ellen confesses all her sins to him; it's like a punch to the heart.
4. The Final Shot of Earth (Revelations)
The final shot of 'Revelations' is sooo devastating in a way that really hits the spot (if you're a miserablist like me). I love everything from Adama picking up the first handful of irradiated dirt, to Roslin's deadpan "Earth..." to the slow silent sweep over the wasteland and the numb looks on everyones faces. I really need the next episode! Anything can happen now.
3. Gaeta’s Lament (Guess What’s Coming For Dinner)
I love this character and I love the unstruck music of BSG. Gaeta's lament is so elegant, so haunting and it really speaks right from the beautiful broken heart of this show. I feel like Felix is singing for all of them; for every member of the fleet. It's a song filled with suffering and loss, but also a desperate feeling of hope.
2. All Along the Watchtower (Crossroads II)
For me, the Watchtower reveal has to be the ultimate WTF moment of the show so far. I just get chilled as the four cylons start muttering Dylan's lyrics and then stumble off to towards the room where they finally realise what is happening to them. I fall madly in love with Tigh as he vows "I am Saul Tigh, an officer in the Colonial fleet. Whatever else I am, that's the man I want to be...and if I die today that's the man I'll be." Then the final sequence with Starbuck making her dashing return on the line "This is not our fate" and the epic pull back to reveal the blue planet they've been searching for...wow. Loved it!
1. The Rescue from New Caprica (Exodus II)
Yeah, I know, my favourite BSG moment is so original *rolls eyes*. Well, I can't help it. The rescue from New Caprica is just epic. I mean, I haven't seen this kind of epic since the final Lord of the Rings film. I love the big spacy moments with the Galactica jumping into the planet's atmosphere and the Pegasus ramming into the cylon basestars. But I also love the more intimate tearjerking moments that are spliced into the action; everything from "I believed in you" through to "It's been an honour" . Can they make a better episode than 'Exodus II' before the end of BSG? I don't know. But I'd love to see it...
If you have time please share your own favourite BSG moments and squee with me over the show's return!