I remember when the episode of Pegasus aired, 23 September 2005. Me, my friends and co-workers loved it. We all made sure to listen to Ronald D. Moore’s weekly podcast talking about the episode, and when we heard about the extended cut when the season was to be released to home video, we were super-excited.

Once again, the series took a storyline from the original series and delivered it in a new way.

Written by Anne Cofell Saunders, this episode is nothing short of outstanding.

While Starbuck (Kaee Sackhoff) is intent on getting a rescue team back to Caprica to save the resistance fighters, the Galactica detects another Battlestar, the Pegasus, commanded by Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes).

In the original series, Cain was played by Lloyd Bridges, but with the darker tone of the series, the more realistic nature of the themes and characters, Forbes’s take on the role is absolutely bang-on and brutal.

The Pegasus survived the attack on one of the homeworlds, and has since been wandering, tracking, and hunting down Cylons.

Adama (Edward James Olmos), Roslin (Mary McDonnell), and the rest of the fleet are overjoyed at meeting up with the Pegasus. But there are dark secrets aboard the Battlestar, some of which Tigh (Michael Hogan) learns and shares with Adama.

Cain is eager to take command of the fleet, and she can be brutal about it. In fact, a number of her crew have horrific tales to tell. She quickly takes charge and summarily ignores the rest of the fleet, while focusing on building up Galactica’s reserves.

Cain apparently has a Cylon prisoner, a Six (Tricia Helfer) model, as well, but she’s not in the same condition as Galactica’s Boomer (Grace Park) model. She’s been brutalized. It’s a physical depiction of the differences between the Admiral and Commander. She also has forcibly conscripted civilians into positions. This raises all manner of ethical questions and explores morality.

Cain is a tactical genius; she’s even been able to find the Cylon fleet tracking Galactica and discovered a strange ship at its heart. But that doesn’t make her a good commander. She works on integrating the crews, against Adama’s wishes, including reassigning Apollo (Jamie Bamber)and Starbuck to the Pegasus.

They immediately disobey orders and Starbuck takes the stealth ship to recon the ship.

The crew’s integration does not go well, and Boomer may be left in the same condition as the Six when some of Pegasus’ Lt. Thorne (Fulvio Cecere) beats and rapes her. Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) and Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) come to help her, and end up killing Thorne.

So what now? Cain prepares to take care of them, permanently. Will Adama let that happen? He launches fighters against the Pegasus. And that is where the episode concludes… as Pegasus and Galactica square off against one another.

It’s a brilliant and fantastic episode; everything works amazingly well: the production design, the performances, the story… It’s a fantastic ride. It explores chain of command, compassion, and torture. It’s not a fun, go-lucky episode; it’s tough, angering and heartbreaking, and makes us ask ourselves some tough questions.

This is one of my favourite episodes, and it works incredibly well because of the journey we’ve been on throughout the series. We’ve grown to care for them, and Cain upends all of that, and it causes us to look at everything in new ways.

Absolutely jaw-droppingly good television.