The third season finale of Battlestar Galactica aired on 18 March, 2007. Written by Michael Taylor, the stage is set for Baltar’s (James Callis) trial. A trial that is going to have reverberations throughout the fleet. Welcome to Crossroads: Part 1.
Roslin (Mary McDonnell) is having dreams of Hera as a young girl being pursued by both Boomer (Grace Park) and a Six (Tricia Helfer), and Anders (Michael Trucco), Tory (Rekha Sharma), and Tigh (Michael Hogan) seem to be hearing the strains of a song in radio static.
There are those in the fleet who believe Baltar is a bit of a messianic prophet, and that will no doubt cause problems for Romo Lampkin (Mark Sheppard) and Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber), who seem to be having all manner of problems behind the scenes of the trial.
Adama (Edward James Olmos) is sitting on the tribunal, residing over the case, and Didi Cassidy (Chelah Horsdal) is the prosecutor. And behind the scenes of the trial, Adama and Lee are having some serious issues as well, leading to Lee’s resignation from the service. Their relationship could be broken once and for all. And it’s not the only relationship in Lee’s life that may be over.
As the fleet continues its FTL jumps, a Raptor is left behind to ensure they are not being trailed by the Cylons. They certainly are. How are they being tracked? Tigh goes to see the captured Six to see if any information can be garnered. There may be a reason why, and they may be able to stop it.
This is a brilliantly written episode, and features fantastic moments and powerful performances.
The episode closes with the reveal that Roslin’s cancer has returned; she’s taking chamalla extract again (and having visions), and that half-heard song, that song seems achingly familiar to a few people.
Crossroads: Part 2 aired one week later on 25 March, 2007. It was written by Mark Verheiden, and there is a lot going on as the Galactica continues its journey to the nebula that may lead to Earth.
The trial continues.
The noose seems to be getting tighter around Baltar’s neck, even though Romo and Lee are making the best of it. Lee has the idea of pursuing a mistrial, and to help prove that, Romo calls Lee to the stand to testify against his own father. Lee is able to make a passionate argument about forgiveness for all the things that have happened through the course of the series to date. Everyone seems to have gotten it except Baltar. Does he deserve it? Will he get it?
And what will he do with it if he gets it?
The trial stuff is absolutely top-notch, and I love Bamber’s performance in this episode as we see Lee starting to go in a new direction now that he’s stepped away from the service. Or has he? Will he and his father be able to find their way back to one another?
And as the episode ends Baltar is guided to his new life, Six dreams of Baltar and Hera, and the final five, the fleet arrives at the neubla which seems to knock the power out of the fleet, though it is slowly restored. And then… we get the holy frak moment as four of the Final Five are revealed, drawn together by the song (All Along the Watchtower) they keep hearing. Anders, Tigh, Tory and Tyrol (Aaron Douglas)!
Oh, and a Cylon fleet arrives… Vipers are launched and Apollo goes after an unknown contact, only to find another viper with… Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff)?! And she knows the way to Earth?
WOW! Where are we going next? Well before the fourth and final season got started, the series goes back a bit with a made for tv movie, Razor, that puts us aboard the Pegasus!
