It's hard to be a Cylon...

Anne Saunders has really outdone herself. Who's Anne Saunders? The writer on TORN, the latest episode in BSG.

SPOILERS! LOOK AWAY!

(Intercut with commentary COPYRIGHT SCI FI CHANNEL 2006)

Baltar remains a prisoner within the Cylon fleet, alive only because his captors believe that he can lead them to a new home: Earth. Indeed, hoping to find the mythical planet for himself, Baltar has pinpointed a nebula that might have been a navigation point for the thirteenth tribe on their ancient journey to Earth. The Cylons send a base ship to investigate. Meanwhile, aboard the Galactica, Gaeta deciphers Baltar's abandoned research notes and also locates the nebula. Eager to resume the quest for Earth, Roslin orders Adama to explore it.

An outstanding performance by James Callis last week. For the first time, we can actually SEE into the Cylon mindset, if only as a glimmer. We learn of "Forward Projection", the way the Cylons view the universe. We even get introduced to a NEW sort of Cylon, "the Hybrid", a sort of Cyborg construct that guides the ships and operates everything on it. Somehow, I doubt this is one of the human seeming Cylon "other Five" that are left over from the 12 base models. In fact, I can't understand why a Cylon that does this task even has to look human? Where are the design specs on this model?

VERY interesting comments made by Baltar this episode. His lucid daydreams with "fantasy Six" are becoming suspicious. We know that medically, Baltar looks human, doesn't have a chip in his head, and for all intents and purposes, IS a human. Yet.. he "forward projects" just like any skin job.. or at least something that is like it. Caprica 6, Baltar's old flame from the early series, seems to have soured of Baltar. I wish we could see if "fantasy Baltar" is still in her head nowadays.

My take on this: I don't think Gaius is a Cylon. It's just too obvious.

Back on the Galactica, things are falling apart with Tigh and Starbuck.. and what happened to Anders???

Col. Tigh is also at loose ends because Helo has unofficially replaced him as Adama's right-hand man. Tigh and Starbuck — both angry, traumatized survivors of the occupation — soon join forces, deriding everyone who didn't suffer as they did and insinuating that their comrades are too weak-minded to resist the Cylons. They don't suspect how far Adama is willing to go to win them back to his side.

Adama (senior) handles this very well indeed, in a very poignant show. I predict Saul will continue a downward slope, but Starbuck will eventually redeem herself.

And for the best part of the show...

Having reached the nebula, the Cylon scout ship transmits back a garbled distress call. It has been infected with a virus that kills all Cylon life. Horrified, the Cylons realize that they can't even resurrect their dying comrades, because the virus will then be transmitted to the rest of their fleet. They don't know what to do until Baltar volunteers to investigate. By hunting down the virus's source aboard the dying ship, he'll either prove his worth to the Cylons or die of the infection — proving that he's a Cylon himself.

The virus seems to eminate from a piece of space junk left by the original humans who went to Earth. It appears to have been infected as a trap. Baltar refuses to mention this when he gets back, trying to keep a very weak ace up his sleeve. Unfortunately, Caprica 6 is reviewing the pictures and notices the piece of space junk, but doesn't say anything. I wonder why? To protect Baltar? Somehow I doubt it...

Anyway, great show.. far better than COLLABORATORS, and connecting directly to next episode, where the Humans discover the virus. What to do, what to do?