Battlestar Galactica 3.07: A Measure of Salvation review

US air date: 10/11/06

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AIR-DATE: 10/11/06

Written by: Michael Angeli

Directed by: Bill Eagles

Starring: D’Anna Biers, Donnelly Rhodes

Rating:

The One Where: Roslin
authorises genocide...

Synopsis
Apollo and Sharon
board the basestar and take back
some Cylon survivors. Later, the
basestar explodes. Meanwhile, the
Cylons know Baltar saw the
infected beacon; believing it was
a trap, D’Anna tortures him.

The virus is lymphocytic
encephalitis – humans developed
immunity centuries ago. Doc
Cottle can’t cure the Cylons, but
can keep them alive with regular
injections. Carrying a human
child has given Sharon immunity.

Apollo hatches a plan to wipe
out the Cylons: jump to a region
the Cylons use; when they turn up,
execute the prisoners so the virus
is downloaded to the nearest
resurrection ship. Helo is opposed
to this, but Roslin authorises it.

The plan’s put into action... but
Helo sabotages it. He turns off
the oxygen to the prisoners’ cell,
killing them before the
resurrection ship’s in range.

Review
Things that bug me:
• Now we know the virus is an
old Earth disease, the idea that it
has “a bio-electric feedback
component” is even more risible.

• Can someone please decide if
Roslin is a liberal or a fascist?

• Why’s Helo there when Roslin
authorises the plan? He’s a grunt!

• Infecting one resurrection ship
wouldn’t wipe out the Cylons.
They could quarantine and
destroy it. They have more than
one resurrection ship, right?

• Why do they act as if this is the
end of it? They have samples of
the virus. Just capture a Cylon,
infect them, and try again!

Dialogue
Agathon: “You can
rationalise it any way you want.
We do this – we wipe out their
race – then we’re no different
than they are.”

Ian Berriman

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