Battlestar Galactica - Act of Contrition

My friend and I were talking about redshirts (the Star Trek extras who die on away missions as the creative behind the show emphasize the dangers on any given planet) in the genre of science fiction. Too often in sci-fi I have felt (as have others) that deaths during series are brushed off and forgotten, as if these lost lives are disregarded because they get in the way of ongoing plot. What I have truly respected and admired about Battlestar Galactica in its last incarnation was the emphasis on how lives are lost should be acknowledged, and the toll resulting from accidents and war cannot be discounted. The burden and weight of any situation that ends with coffins (metallic, wooden, in capsule form, or otherwise) being conveyed to us gives us understanding that these officers are human and carry with them that toll. Captain Adama looking at missing seats among his pilots while the likes of Starbuck, very tough and resilient, are feeling the hurt of the loss of her comrades, speaking to them with heavy heart is a breath of fresh air. I think television in the last eighteen or so years (or at least since 9/11) realize that each loss of life is sacred and Commander Adama steeling their resolve when he finds them in pain reminds us that without those that still remain with their heads and minds focused on protecting the fleet all hope will certainly be lost. While Act of Contrition eventually results in Starbuck having to admit something terrible to Commander Adama regarding her former fiancé and his son, Zak, who had no reason to pilot any Viper, the flashback to his funeral as it coincides with the funeral of pilots killed by a hanger missile sliding off its belt due to faulty equipment (Tyrol agonizing about this maintenance problem killing good pilots under his watch) on the BG, the episode’s significance on the emotional agonies of military life cannot be understated or glossed over.

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So in Act of Contrition, an episode that was just so agonizing to watch, especially when Commander Adama learns of Kara’s (Starbuck) passing his deceased son in Basic Flight when he was not actually capable of flying a Viper, it is the acting, to me, that really sets it apart during the early episodes of the first season. And that is saying something since the acting remains uniformly excellent in all respects, top to bottom in this incredibly versatile cast.

I recall how Olmos acted one scene when President Roslin requests that he tells his crew how appreciative she was of their performance and effort. The overwhelming emotion Olmos’ Adama holds barely in check, although his welling eyes and nearly-busting face clearly indicate quite an unexpected response to her thanks/gratitude for a job well done. Even more powerful is Olmos’ work in a scene when his Adama learns from a guilt-stricken, stuttering Starbuck (Sackhoff also deserves credit for her performance throughout the episode as she grapples with Zak’s memory as the recent tragic event of lost pilots while celebrating the 1000 flight of a pilot named Flat Top on the hanger recalls the mishap of passing him when he should have failed) of his son’s death. His penetratingly intense and aching eyes and a missing lower lip deeply embedded and clasped under his upper lip to refrain from unloading rage onto Starbuck as he learns these details, first reported to him by accident from Apollo (who thought the two had shared the incident about Zak already), as he tells her to leave “while she still can” is such a magnificent piece of acting from Olmos. Olmos was always such a presence on Miami Vice, but on Battlestar Galactica, his performance as Adama is on another layered, multi-faceted level. He just seemed to have a great grasp on this character who must take on so much responsibility and pressure that when faced with the knowledge that his son didn’t have to die had the flight instructor just did her job (instead of allowing her love for him to cloud her judgment) for most it would be impossible not to break down. Yet Commander Adama does keep his emotions from boiling over, telling Starbuck to return to “new recruits” (she calls nuggets) and properly train them for piloting their Vipers because the shortage of them cannot continue.

This episode really hit me in the feels. There is this incredibly vulnerable Commander Adama that embraces Kara with a hug, showing a side of himself very, very few will ever see. Because she was engaged to his son, Adama took her under his guidance, as a mentor. Later in the episode he says she is like a daughter to him, and that is heartfelt, so when she must reveal Zak’s inability to truly fly, never deserved of his “wings”, it is especially devastating. This revelation will leave a scar never to truly heal and what was a significant relationship to Adama cannot ever completely be the same. That is a definite tragedy, in my mind, seeing as that when Adama encourages Starbuck to instruct these new recruits, mentioning his own son’s training as a pilot, it is under the reasoning that she is the only one for the job. But that trust is shattered. What a bleeding wound, too.
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*Because of the mistake in passing Zak, Starbuck fails her new recruits ("washes them out") on their first day, raising the concern of Apollo, who confronts her about it, causing tensions.
*Ongoing in the episode is Starbuck in her cockpit wrestling with the controls of a Viper burning up, eventually resulting in her ejecting from it.
*On Caprica, Helo and Boomer II locate a bomb/radiation shelter fully stocked, while Helfer's cylon awaits outside. Helo's remaining alive is quite intriguing considering at any point he could (and should) be doomed.