BG-10: War Of The Gods
 

Several Viper patrols disappear, including one with Bojay and Jolly, while ghostly lights harass the Colonial fleet. And on a barren world, Apollo, Starbuck and Sheba encounter the mysterious Count Iblis, the lone survivor of a large spaceship crash. Iblis promises salvation for the fleet -- at an extreme price. Meanwhile, Sheba finds herself romantically drawn to Iblis, while Apollo, Adama, Tigh and Starbuck see Iblis as a growing threat -- and one which the desperate fleet is willing to embrace. Count Iblis's influence over the entire Colonial fleet--and particularly Sheba--grows as he works miracles, including the delivery of the traitor Baltar to the Council of the Twelve. Adama, Tigh, Apollo and Starbuck seek to uncover the truth about Count Iblis. And the Ships of Light/Beings of Light are revealed -- and coordinates to Earth are given to Sheba, Starbuck and Apollo.
(Note: This is the first appearance of the Triad game.)

Series stars; Richard Hatch as Apollo, Dirk Benedict as Starbuck, Herb Jefferson Jr. as Boomer, Lorne Greene as Adama, Terry Carter as Colonel Tigh, Maren Jensen as Athena, Tony Swartz as Jolly, Laurette Spang as Cassiopia, Noah Hathaway as Boxey, Sarah Rush as Rigel, David Greenan as Omega, Anne Lockhart as Sheba, Jack Stauffer as Bojay, Ed Begley, Jr. as Greenbean, and John Colicos as Baltar.

Guest starring Patrick Macnee as Count Iblis, John Williams as a Statesman, Janet Louise Johnson as Brie, and Olan Soulé as Carmichael.

(Thanks to Michael Faries Battlestar Galactica.com)

I have a question about this particular episode that I'm hoping that one of you knowledgable folks can answer. Not long ago I learned about the cut footage from part II where Sheba, Starbuck, and Apollo discover cloven feet amongst the ruins of Iblis' ship. Does anyone know any more details about this abandoned footage, such as the reason why it was dropped and the possible meanings of the discovery intended by the writers? The symbolism of TOS fascinates me, particularly the religious symbols. I'm aware that Larson incorporated several Biblical symbols into the series, especially from Genesis. Anyway, I was hoping someone could shed a little light on this to satisfy my curiosity.

It was dropped because ABC felt that it was too harsh. Actually it was a goat carcass that was to be seen when Sheba looked into the ship. ABC felt that it represented devil worship..

That was the POINT!!!!! As usual, the NitWerk suits didn't understand! Iblis is the Devil, so...
They wouldn't understand good plotting if it fell on them!

IBLIS:

http://chrisscalf.com/images/fantasy/wog5.htm


Chris is one of the GREATEST artists.

Agreed! That's an outstanding portrait of Iblis, as well as the other characters.

Shatter in Jewish folklore .................the cloven feet are
the only true way to recognize a demon or the devil.

The cloven feet are especially evident in YIDDISH folklore.

It could be that particular footage was dropped because in
the 70's they thought that the finding of the feet was simply
too violent.

(ALso getting off topic ..........I believe that's why the
flag for the battlestar gallactica was changed as well .........
God forbid that a Six pointed STAR should represent anything
POSITIVE in BOnnie Hammer or in RON MOORE'S eyes.)

I thought the whole count Iblis thing was lame.
 

I never liked any of the Iblis episodes or those of the Lords of Light. I thought they were weak.

I respectfully disagree, rickyrod.

The conflict between the 2 groups, i.e., Good and Evil, was what the show was all about.

I have the belief that, properly handled, the interaction between the Beings of Light and Count Iblis et al and their manipulations of their respective 'underlings' - Colonials and Cylons - held the possibility of being a storyline which could span an entire series.

BST

Agree to a point...
 

I think War of the Gods was the best of all the Galactica episodes, however, Experiment in Terra was not done well and I have always disliked that episode. They just wanted to use the beings of light again but it did not work and the whole plot was pointless...

SO Ibly wasnt the Imperious Leader , in which both sounded just alike?
And the crashed large ship wasnt the Pegasus in which most were lead to believe?

Welcome, blade45!

Iblis alluded, to Baltar, that his voice "may" have been downloaded into the Imperious Leader's programming (and for this to have happened, he -Iblis- would have to be over a thousand yahren old).

Regarding the ship, there was never a direct explanation as to whose ship it was.

BST

The Hatch Explanation
 

According to the novels, Iblis was a human who was exiled to the planet Cylon where he began to alter the original Cylons via DNA infusion(Iblis own). This is why the Imperious Leader has the same voice. The Cylons eventually kill Iblis but he isn't transformed into a Being of Light rather a horrific creature.

Thanks, Kingfish.

I was going by what appeared on the televised version. I hadn't taken into consideration what appeared in the novels. OOPS!

It would make a lot more sense actually having him lay the groundwork, by re-creating the Cylon society as machines, than to just appear, on the Cylon homeworld, one day out of the blue.

:)

I really liked this one. I think that not showing the cloven footed alien when Sheba looked just suddenly gave us hope that the Pegasus was still out there.... somewhere... I was secretly hoping that it wasn't a colonial foot there.... releaved that it was cloven... The Pegasus story has yet to be told. But War of the Gods seemed to set her free for me...

As far as the story... The Ship of Lights was fantastic... to think about god-like superior life forms... Remember, Adama told Apollo that they would seem god like to a civilization lesser then theirs.... Makes you look at God a bit differently. I loved the entire message delivered by the "angels" on the ship. "What you are, we once were... What we are you will become." Very Morman - but very deep in a universal way. Apollo's association with STarbuck.. he being dead only in a primitive way... all of it was very well written. All of it fit well with the characters, the journey they each were experiencing... the time at which the story took place in their lives. I would not change it. Nor would I touch "Hand of God." Excellent writers... GAlactica needed more writers like these. Actually - Isac Isomov was supposed to write for Galactica had she made it to the next season. One could imagine what they were planing for the Galactica.

Legend

"War of the Gods" was another of the stand-out episodes of Galactica. Patrick McNee as Count Iblis was terrific! While you could sort of see where the episode was going (or maybe that's just hindsight on my part), it was still creepy fun getting there! Actually, there were some interesting twists in the storyline that both explained things about who the Galactican's people were as well as offered tantalizing hints of what future episodes might lay ahead. And the ending, with Apollo, Starbuck and Sheba reciting portions of the co-ordinates to earth, I thought was a real good touch. Even though it was a good thing and something Adama had been longing for, as a capper to everything they had just gone through with Iblis, it still struck me as somehow a little forboding or menacing... Again, a foreshadowing of future episodes we never got a chance to see, perhaps?

:warrior:

They also appear in "Greek Mythology" creatures called Satyrs had cloven hooves. As did Centaurs (half man /half horse)

As do many other mythological creatures scattered through many biblical and myth related stories.

As for it being violent? No it was cut due to the executives thinking it would be a clear sign of demonic/ Satanic references for the audience to handle. according to the script, after we are suppose to see the foot the frame pans up to reveal the form of a man covered in a hairy body. there was also suppose to be a "tail" out near the creatures hoof?

I take it the props were made, but then the footage was cut on orders by the studio. I personally think ABC got jumpy about the thing anyways. today TV would have made the footage seem tame by comparison.

Although as i've said, there was an episode of "Space 1999" that would have made the cloven hooves scene seem weak, the episode inwhich they discovered a dead pilot in one of their Eagle Shuttles?

Burned to the skeleton no less!!! - :eek:

KJ

According to Gene Roddenberry the character of Spock was modeled after the image of the devil. The network did not like that and if they had it their way the character would have disappeared from the show.

I always loved this two parter but after rewatching it last night I have a few issues with it. I don't see any point to Sheba saying Earth has one sun and among nine planets in light of The Long Patrol and Starbuck's correcting Boxey's map of Earth's system as taught to him by Adama.

I liked how Sheba is used. This was the intro of Triad. Sheba left her Viper back at the crash site when Apollo is "killed" saving her from Iblis. The lights fly around for no apparent reason. Why does Iblis seem to need to go with the Warriors to their fleet if he can travel from Galactica to the crash site seemingly without assistance? Why is he worried about Colonial tech but alter appears unaffected? Does it have something to do with him drawing sustanence and power from Sheba's devotion and later that of so much of the fleet? With the deaths on his 'ship' perhaps he was in a very weakened state.

I took the conversation with Baltar to mean Iblis was the original of the IL-series Imperious Leader's voice and thus a 1,000 or more yahren old. Iblis was being coy but not denying Baltar's charge. If we accept the Cylon machines turned against their reptilian progenetors then Iblis was probably behind the machine's revolt. Somehow he undermined the organic Cylons perhaps by becoming their "final" leader before the revolt. Perhaps even he planted the creation of the mechanical Cylons in the minds of the organic Cylon leadership. Definitely something to explore, but clearly Iblis feeds of the loyalty and devotion of his fallen flock. I believe the robotic Cylons were the undoing of their reptilian creators not unlike the ultimately fatal destiny of the cloven victims at the crash site whereupon Iblis was encountered.

I don't know why so many thought the ship was the Pegasus. Apollo said the ship seemed to be perhaps the size of a Battlestar but Iblis clearly told Sheba she would meet her father again. Knowing about the cloven hoves, it wasn't the Pegasus.

"According to the novels, Iblis was a human who was exiled to the planet Cylon where he began to alter the original Cylons via DNA infusion(Iblis own). This is why the Imperious Leader has the same voice. The Cylons eventually kill Iblis but he isn't transformed into a Being of Light rather a horrific creature."

If that's Hatch's explanation I'm glad I didn't ready any of his novels. That is ridiculous!

Sheba actually didn't leave her viper behind if you take into account the telemovies where the shuttle lands on the Galactica and Apollo, Starbuck and Sheba find out from Tigh and Boomer that all the missing pilots were found on the "Red Planet" where Count Iblis was found.

In doing so, i guess they found Sheba's Viper also! (with limited fleet resources, they wouldn't leave a fighter ship like a Viper behind would they?)

As for the wrecked ship being the Pegasus?

No it wasn't, but i'm glad the episode had the "red herring" clues and lines of dialogue which led to so many interpretations of what the wreckage was. No wonder people thought "THAT" it was the Pegasus at the time.

"War of the Gods" does have, so many levels to it, as a 2 parter episode. Which adds to it every time.

KJ