Brilliant! 5 out of 5.
An amazing episode, easily the best of the series so far. It introduced some great new characters, had some wonderful drama, and edge of your seat action! And to to crown it all, Lloyd Bridges as Commander Cain!
One thing I loved about having a guest star the calibur of Lloyd Bridges was that every other actor on the show raised there game and gave brilliant performances. This often happens when a big star appears on a show, and I'm pleased that when other top drawer stars appear later in the series(Astaire & McNee) the regulars again rise to the challange.
Adama & Cain's scenes together are excellent. These two great men are at odds how the think they should deal with the Cylons. Adama's instinct is to avoid conflict to defend the civillian fleet. While Cain want to get ripped into them. The beauty of this is that both men have a genuine belief that there way is correct, and the viewer can see the logic & problems with both stratigies. These scenes are played perfectly by Green & Bridges. Another scene that seemed real to me was the officers club scen between the Viper Pilots of the Galactica and the Pegasus. The fact that the Pegasus pilots, who run constand strike missions against the Cylons would look down there noses at the Galactica's pilots who mostly fly recon patroles or escort missions. Apollo gave a very good defence of his men, and put the cocky Silver Spar pilots in there place.
Sheba is a great character, and I was delighted that she became a regular for the rest of the series. And a very rare thing in Sci Fi, we have a strong female character that actually acts like a female! Most simmilar characters from other shows- Tasha Yar(TNG), Ivanova(B5), Kira(DS9) & Starbuck(new BSG) all act like men. They are angry, overly aggresive, hard drinking, hard shagging women who look like butch dykes. Sheba acts like a woman, dresses like a woman, and her ability as a warrior is never questioned by Apollo, Starbuck or Boomer. As a man, I find this type of character more appealing, and more believable. I wish other shows would take note!
If I can make one last point. I once read that Gene Roddenberry's first choice for Star Trek's captain was Lloyd Bridges. He was offered the part of Captain Robert April, but politely turned it down as TV sci fi at that point was "Monster of the Week" stuff that he didn't like. But I've always wondered what he would have been like in William Shatner's place, and his performance as Cain in this episode gives us a clear picture of what it would be like if Lloyd Bridges took the center seat of the Enterprise!
BRG
