A Sneak Peak At The Battlestar Galactica Premiere

In preparation for the triumphant return of "Battlestar Galactica," the fine folks at the SciFi channel have sent us over the first episode of the new season to preview. The episode came wrapped in a brown paper parcel, which seemed appropriate given how excited I was about a chance to preview it. It also came with dire warnings about ninjas clad in NBC logo masks who would come to my house and silence me permanently were I to so much as breathe a hint of what happens in the fourth act.

However! If you, like me, cannot resist sneaking a glimpse at what lies ahead, there is more on the premiere after the jump. Be assured, within the bounds of what NBC will allow us, it is extremely spoilery.

It says something about the kind of show "Battlestar Galactica" is that while there's a certain inevitability in what happens for the first part of the episode, it never becomes dull as a result. Last season's finale left the characters on an inexorable, unavoidable course. It doesn't take long for the story to jump the rails and go somewhere we never expected, but that lies within the blackout period that I cannot discuss. Suffice it to say, it's a doozy.

There are three main threads going through this episode: The crew reeling from Starbuck's sudden return, Baltar reeling from being released from prison, and the four new Cylons reeling from learning that they're Cylons. Let's take them one at a time.

Starbuck's Return
Starbuck is back, and more than a little weird. Lee's somewhat hallucinatory vision of her at the end of season 3 proves to be the real thing, and she's back with visions of Earth. There are just a few problems, however. For one, her ship doesn't have a scratch on it - it looks brand new, and also the nav computer has been wiped, so she has no proof of where she's been.

Kara, who has only been gone for about 6 hours from her perspective, is understandably pissed off about being treated with suspicion by everyone except Lee who is basically skipping through the daisies singing "Kara's back everybody, Kara's back!" Since she's been to Earth, Starbuck is certain that she can get them back there again, but comes into conflict with Roslin, who wants to continue on their originally planned course. Apparently Earth imbued her with some kind of psychic sense of where it is, and jumping further away drains her of the ability to remember it. Weird.

Baltar of Nazareth
The great thing about Gaius Baltar as a character is that no one, including himself, can tell when he's being sincere. Following his release from prison, Baltar is taken in by a small horde of nubile young women who seem to have taken to worshiping him, no doubt one of his oldest and fondest dreams. He even finds himself a pretty acolyte to "relieve his suffering." However, moved by some kind of mad, monotheistic urge, he also blesses a sick child, asking to trade his worthless, scummy life for that of the child. Ironically, he also shaves his beard, making him look slightly less like Jesus.

The Four Cylons
What do you do when you find out you're the enemy? Well, if you're Saul Tigh, you cowboy up and insist that you can override your genetics. Tigh is absolutely determined to go about his duties as though nothing has happened, despite having no way to know if he's going to flip out and kill someone. Anders, on the other hand, is more or less certain that he's going to kill someone, and looks on the brink of total mental collapse through the whole episode. As for Tyrol and Tory, well, they're just afraid that someone is going to kill them. A pretty reasonable fear, given the circumstance.

Overall, the episode is what we've come to expect from "Battlestar Galactica." Even at its worst, the show remains one of the best things on television, and while the season premiere doesn't blow the doors of the barn, it is still tight, taut, tense storytelling that draws you back into the BSG universe. Of course, we have have hints of what's to come, and a hell of a breath-taking surprise, but you'll just have to wait until Friday.