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Episode Studies by Clayton Barr
enik1138-at-popapostle dot com
Battlestar Galactica: A Disquiet Follows My Soul

Battlestar Galactica

"A Disquiet Follows My Soul"

TV episode

Written and Directed by Ronald D. Moore

Original air date: January 23, 2009

 

Adama believes that Cylon technology will lead to habitable space, but his proposal for an alliance is met by fierce resistance.

 

Read the summary of the episode at the Battlestar Wiki

 

Didja Know?

 

This study is based on the extended version of the episode found on the complete series Blu-ray edition. It runs almost 10 minutes longer than the aired version.

 

Starting with this episode, the opening titles state that the humans of the fleet are searching for a home, rather than for Earth (appropriately enough, since Earth was discovered to be a radioactive wasteland in "Revelations" and "Sometimes a Great Notion").

 

The opening titles show the fleet at a population of 39,644, down 6 from the count of 39,650 from the middle of the previously televised episode "Sometimes a Great Notion" when Dee committed suicide. This count allows for the deaths of Specialists Brooks and Finnegan and Ensign "Easy" Esrin in the webisode series that chronologically precedes this episode, "Face of the Enemy"; it might also account for the deaths of Sweet Eight and Hard Eight in the webisodes, but probably neither Eight could be considered part of the fleet, just visiting "guests" of the rebel baseship.

 

Characters appearing or mentioned in this episode

 

Admiral Adama

Colonel Tigh

Caprica Six

Dr. Cottle

Paramedic Layne Ishay

Lt. Gaeta

Dee (mentioned only, deceased)

President Roslin

Specialist Tyrol

Nicholas Tyrol

Playa Palacios

Tom Zarek

Apollo

Sekou Hamilton

Baltar

Head Six

John Cavil (mentioned only)

Helo

Cally (mentioned only, deceased)

Hot Dog

Number Eight (mentioned only)

Leoben Conoy (mentioned only)

Starbuck

Reza Chronides

Jacob Cantrell

Specialist Figurski

Paulla Schaffer

Jeanne

Lt. Hoshi

Athena

 


 

Didja Notice?

 

Admiral Adama reads a brief passage from a book before leaving his quarters to start his work day. The quote is from the poem "There is a Languor of the Life" by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). In the audio commentary of this episode by Ron Moore, he says that Edward James Olmos (Adama) grabbed the book and quoted it at random and it just happened to be a passage that resonated with the themes of this episode. The passage he reads is:

 

There is a languor of the life

More imminent than pain.

'Tis pain's successor

When the soul has suffered all it can.

 

President Roslin apparently has her own quarters aboard Galactica now.

 

In this episode, we learn that the baby son of Cally and Tyrol, Nicholas, is not actually Tyrol's son. Cally became pregnant not long before she and Tyrol were married and the real father is Hot Dog. This means, of course, that Nicholas is not a human-Cylon hybrid like Hera as previously thought.

 

During the confrontation between Gaeta and Starbuck, Starbuck remarks that 50 billion people were killed in the Twelve Colonies during the Cylon attack. In the webisodes of "The Resistance", Tigh stated a figure of 20 billion. Which figure is correct?

 

The boy sitting with his chin in his hands during Baltar's sermon to his flock at 35:32 on the Blu-ray is producer Ron Moore's son, Robin. The girl seen at 36:39 is Moore's daughter, Roxy.

 

The tylium refinery ship Hitei Kan is named in this episode. Another, almost identical, tylium refinery ship is the Daru Mozu, seen in some earlier episodes, suggesting there are two such ships in the fleet. Yet, here, when the Hitei Kan mutinies and jumps away from the fleet, Colonel Tigh remarks they've taken all the fuel with them. So, what happened to the Daru Mozu? The ship is seemingly still part of the fleet even after the Battle of New Caprica for it is seen in "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?". Did Daru Mozu somehow lose its capability to refine tylium?

 

When the Hitei Kan goes mutinous, Adama orders a MARDET team to be scrambled. MARDET is short for Marine Detachment.

 

At 42:12 on the Blu-ray, we see that the FTL jump of the Hitei Kan affects the Vipers and Raptor closing in on it, tossing them into a slight spin.

 

At 51:46 on the Blu-ray, the book seen on the headboard shelf of Roslin's bed as she and Adama cuddle appears to be a volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica!

 

Memorable Dialog

try looking with your eyes.mp3
I need a drink.mp3
she'll live.mp3
loading up on the expectations.mp3
the Cylon nation will survive.mp3
the identity of the fifth Cylon.mp3
her prophecies about Earth.mp3
there'll be consequences.mp3
I'm not his father.mp3
applause, applause, applause.mp3
I will definitely hit a cripple.mp3
I guess a pity frak is out of the question.mp3
no Cylon will board a ship in this fleet.mp3
the right to live a little before I die.mp3
if I'm their father.mp3
there are days that I really hate this job.mp3

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