Episode Name: The Oath Episode Number: 413 Written by: Mark Verheiden Directed by: John Dahl Original Air Date: 1/30/09 on SciFi Channel
Analysis:
In addition to Gaeta and Zarek, the mutineers include pilots Racetrack, Skulls, Narcho, and Seelix. Marine Nowart, Marine Maldonado, former Pegasus crewman Gage and Caprica/New Caprica resistance member Charlie Connor.
Tyrol and Baltar have tacitly thrown their support behind Adama and Roslin or at the very least, are opposed to the violence of Gaeta's mutiny.
Lt. Hoshi has been taken into custody and can be considered to be supporting Adama.
Hot Dog, who is part of the CAP, has unknown intentions although it's likely that he'll have to make a choice if Narcho attacks the Raptor.
The episode takes place over slightly more than four hours starting with Tigh's morning briefing with Adama at 0620 hours and ending with the Adama and Tigh's stand in the Secondary Storage Comparment at 1047 hours.
Of the four Cylons, Anders looks to be the only one who is still struggling with his new identity. Tigh has decided to be the man he's always been. Tory has chosen to stay with the Cylon. Tyrol has apparently become a liaison.
Despite her statements to the contrary, Roslin still does remain interested in the politics of the fleet. She starts to give Adama advice at the very beginning of the episode before things had even escalated. Later, when Kara and Lee arrived at Adama's quarters, she was already dressed so she had decided to make some sort of public appearance. Her resolve was solidified when Lee told her that Zarek was after the Presidency.
Baltar looks to have tired of his role as spiritual leader even to his group of young nubile women. Tyrol's suggestion that he leave seems to give Baltar a welcome excuse to "get away."
Baltar made a reference to "our secret" when talking to Gaeta. According to the webisodes, the secret is that Gaeta unknowingly supplied the Cylons with the list of names of New Caprica Resistance members. Then-President Baltar was then forced to sign at gunpoint execution orders for those on the list.
Gaeta and Zarek seem to have secured a clear "upper hand." Though Roslin's speech might have brought some doubts to the Quorum, Zarek is there with them and can be a persuasive influence. Meanwhile, Gaeta controls CIC, the hangar deck and appears to be about to secure the engine room as well. Adama and Tigh are holding one relatively meaningless storage compartment which is about to be overrun as well. Even if Roslin and Baltar escape, the only rival firepower is the Cylon baseship. If Gaeta is resolved to hold the line, then a heavy confrontation between Galactica and the baseship would presumably damage both ships and leave the fleet extremely vulnerable to Cavil's Cylons.
On the other hand, Gaeta's position in control of Galactica might not be quite as secure. Tyrol was in contact with men onboard, so there is some organized resistance to the mutiny. Tyrol, Kara and Lee have gone back into the ship presumably to join the fight. Their strength is as yet unknown since Gaeta's men had the element of surprise that sped their initial takeover.
Anders, Athena, Hera and Caprica Six along with Helo were targeted and secured quickly. However, Tyrol not only evaded being captured, but the mutineers apparently had no idea at all where he was or they would have moved on Baltar's compartment.
Speaking of Tyrol, his appearances at Baltar's speeches have apparently led to some closer contact with Baltar and his group because he was somehow made aware of what Jeanne saw on the hangar deck. He immediately made plans to get a Cylon-piloted Raptor over to Galactica to retrieve him and Baltar.
Zarek committed the first act of violence and killed the first man during the mutiny when he attacked Laird. Gaeta seemed to pull every trick he could to avoid violence even as there were skirmishes going on elsewhere. Once the private was killed while Gaeta took control of CIC, he finally seemed resolved. He didn't hesitate to send an armed team to help Connor secure the engine room. He also didn't hesitate to give the order for Narcho to take out the Raptor. Gage was more than willing to commit violence against the Cylons and Cylon-sympathizer Helo, but hesitated whenever Gaeta gave his harsher orders. There is the slight possibility that Gage refuses to pass Gaeta's order to Narcho or hesitates long enough to allow the Raptor to escape. Nowart is another mutineer whose resolve is in question.
Kara is invigorated by the fight and having another battle once again gives her purpose. She clearly lives for the rush of combat and the adrenaline high brought on by being in mortal danger.
In the heat of rescuing Lee, Kara makes a flippant remark about having died once already. It can be assumed that Kara doesn't know anymore about what she found on Earth and was just mouthing off.
Charlie Connor, last seen beating down Baltar, had been part of Zarek's tribunal that nearly airlocked Gaeta. As bitter as Gaeta is toward Kara, Tigh and Anders, Connor seems to be a prominent member of his mutiny. Connor can be considered to be more loyal to Zarek and more ruthless than Gaeta. As a civilian, he could also be a threat to the military including those who participated in the mutiny.
The prominence of Gage and Narcho in Gaeta's mutiny is a nod to the storyline of the Pegasus . In that case, the Admiral had shot her XO when he questioned her total war approach. That crew had a brutal disdain for Cylons because of Gina's treachery. It was also an interesting writing choice to kill Laird (rather than say Figurski). Laird had been one of the few civilians to survive their encounter with the Pegasus and only because he was drafted into service by force. His death being the first of the mutiny serves as a strong tie-in back to the Pegasus storyline.
After the small peck that Roslin gave Adama in the corridor in the previous episode, their personal moment in the Storage Compartment in front of the likes of Tyrol and Baltar clearly takes their relationship public. This could cause any decision-making by either to be called into question as being personal rather than for the "good" of the fleet. Especially considering that Roslin and Adama started out as often being in strong disagreement and having to compromise. Assuming they both survive, fallout can be expected from the revelation that civilian and military leaders are literally in bed together.
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