#12: Murder on the Rising Star

[Croft2014]

Always a bad idea to frame one of your lead characters as a murderer and then have other leads speculate that maybe he did it. By all reports, this was an episode written rapidly to keep the quota up. It's better than you'd think, but hardly good.

[Cylon-Knight]

I love a good "who done it" show.

Talk to text. Adama did it first, Google. His log is great forshadowing of G1980.

@GoldCylon - did you notice, more ashtrays in Space! Adama and Tigh in the lounge. Adama screwing wth Tigh is classic. This episode give a great view of the larger colonial community. Sports, law, sciences, etc. All still going well - despite the destruction of their worlds. And more info behind Baltar and how the Cylons were able to destroy said worlds.

The opening Triad game is interesting... apparently entire Galactica bridge crew is at the game. Seems Omega was left to run the flag ship. Too bad for Omega. lol

[bishopdonmiguel]

They put the B-Team in charge of the Bridge during Triad games. Lots of Pong and Asteroids being played on those shifts.

[GoldCylon]

I had that episode on just a week or 10 days ago in the back ground. Murder on the Raising Star if I recall. Yes Adama did have fun with Tigh. Tigh did seem to show him self a bit there, and Baltars Escape when he left to have a heated drink in the Officers room. Good times when Omega hands out free quarters (Cubits) for video screen time.

[johnnybear]

It's strange that Kiribdos didn't turn up in Baltar's Escape as well I always thought?
JB

[Specter]

They seem to retcon Cassiopeia’s past a bit in this episode. She’s the one who comments that Starbuck and Ortega have been at each other’s throats ever since the academy. Excuse me? Weren’t you off somewhere socialating with the Gemonese while Starbuck was in the academy? Or helping your dad with Aerian merchant codes?

Of course, Starbuck might have told her about his past with Ortega, but it’s still a jarring reference to come from Cassiopeia in the context of a character we’ve never even met before.

[Croft2014]

Not really, they've been intimate together for a long time by then.

[johnnybear]

Starbuck obviously explained his beef with Ortega while on a hot date with Cassie and a bottle of five hundred yarn old Ambrosa of course!
JB

[Specter]

Not his "beef." His "protein."

[johnnybear]

Frank Ashmore who played Ortega was the good alien in V! A turnaround role to be exact for him!
JB

[jimsprenkle]

I met Frank

Yes that’s me in the Wookiee suit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[johnnybear]

Frank Ashmore was born Frank Howard Stell the second but what I want to know is did he spit any of that toxic poison about when you met him? I recently saw him in a seventies movie called The Astral Factor made in 1976 and it was pretty dire! Good points were Stephanie Powers nearly nude!
JB

[Croft2014]

Gave Murder on the Rising Star another viewing tonight!

A rival of Starbuck's, Ortega (Frank Ashmore) is found dead and evidence says he did it; Apollo takes on his defence (his Protector) in the legal case but he lacks experience. Boomer and Apollo investigate and find that circumstantial evidence indicates that the killer is one Karibdis, the man who helped disable the Caprican defence systems for Baltar and thus allow the Cylon forces to attack ... who is now living amongst the citizens in the fleet under an alias. Baltar is recruited from the Prison Barge as he's the only one who can spot Karibdis.

Usually considered one of the weakest BG episodes and and it's thumpingly obvious that Starbuck isn't a murderer from the off, but the script, production and performances are good enough to distract from the fact that the resolution is a foregone conclusion. Throw in two other suspects with secrets to hide and given that the writers had only two days to get this script done, it's surprisingly engaging.

This is still a filler episode and a minor entry in the sense of the series taken overall but I found that I enjoyed it much more than previously with this viewing. There are several nice little aspects to this episode that indicate the wider Colonial culture like the broadcasts, the legalities, the Triad game and the fact that many in the fleet follow the sport (also seen in War of the Gods). It's also interesting in how it portrays Ortega as a blackmailer; a sound bit of depth to a Colonial Warrior that we hadn't had before. A shame he hadn't been a semiregular.

[johnnybear]

Great moments here with the survivors boarding ships to escape from the oncoming Cylon apocalypse! And we get to see another game of Triad too!!!!
JB