Battlestar Galactica - The Captain's Hand

This episode is definitely loaded with developments! Special guest star, the late John Heard (Cutter's Way, Cat People, Big, Home Alone), was the chief engineer--good with machines, not so much with people--on Pegasus when Fisk is killed, promoted by Admiral Adams to Commander. He's having issues with Starbuck, assigned to Pegasus for training Viper pilots. He considers her a subordinate nuisance with a big mouth and mutinous intentions. She cracks with her pilots that he's paranoid and incompetent. So relations are intense. Apollo, still reeling from being shot accidentally by Starbuck, is sent over to Pegasus to assist the Commander. When Garner (Heard) fails to heed the advice of Starbuck and Apollo--Apollo agrees with her, much to Garner's dismay, even telling Admiral Adams also--about pursuing missing Pegasus Vipers, disregarding orders by the Admiral even, due to a possible Cylon trap.

Heard has a grand heroic exit despite placing the Pegasus in peril instead of trusting in his commanding officers, angst and adversarial, toxic relationship with Starbuck, inability to look past his jealousy and contempt for pilots who seem to get all the glory while his "snipes" (the engineers and machinists who keep the Vipers and ship operational) receive very little recognition, complaining to Apollo about this as he must listen and try to respond respectfully, and failure to reason all the particulars because of his heightened emotions. He's a treat to watch because he's a roller coaster of a character. You could tell Apollo respected him even as the two dissolve into ordering the other off the bridge before a massive Cylon attack exposes Garner's failure to listen to Apollo and his father, both understanding how the Cylons have used distress signals to lure Vipers into their trap. Giving his life to seal a hull breach leaking oxygen allowed Heard quite the departure.

Promoted to Pegasus command, Apollo's rise in rank mostly stems from handling the ship as it is under duress, put into this difficult position when Garner fled to engineering. Apollo and Dee are romantically involved now that Billy is officially out of the picture, which I'm almost sure will see interference now that he's on a different ship...and just because romances typically don't last on this show. Settling up with Starbuck was nice, the two putting away their strife.
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Zarek nudges Vice President Gaius Baltar to announce his intentions to run against Roslin. The controversial decision to declare abortions illegal due to dwindling numbers of humans has set Roslin up as a candidate certain to face scrutiny, particularly because she once was a supreme advocate for a woman's right to choice, her position disrupted by Admiral Adama's point on "making babies" in order to build the human race instead of encourage further loss. This is obviously due to meet resistance. Also up against the opposing side of preserving life, a religious section of the fleet Roslin often has problems with, President Roslin decides to allow a pregnant daughter to abort her child. This came before her decree, so she was granted her request, and asylum. Roslin and Baltar, no love lost, is just brimming with animosity. Good stuff.

4/5