Someone To Watch Over Me
Despite the ongoing the Cylon repairs, Tyrol’s prognosis for Galactica is grim – at most, the ship has five jumps left before her back breaks. A Six is welcomed as the first Cylon representative to the Quorum, but she shocks Lee by making it clear that her first act is to request the extradition of Boomer, who will be tried and executed for turning against the rest of her model in the Cylon civil war. Tyrol goes to visit her in the brig, where she introduces him to a Cylon form of mental projection, allowing them to visit the dream home that they were never built together. But what Tyrol doesn’t realize is that Boomer’s mission wasn’t just to return Ellen Tigh to Galactica; that was the distraction. Her true mission was to kidnap Hera – and with Tyrol’s unwitting assistance, she’s about to succeed.
written by Bradley Thompson & David Weddle
directed by Michael Nankin
music by Bear McCrearyGuest Cast: Michael Hogan (Tigh), Aaron Douglas (Tyrol), Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), Michael Trucco (Sam Anders), Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh), Donnelly Rhodes (Doc Cottle), Rekha Sharma (Tory Foster), Brad Drybrough (Hoshi), Roark Crichtlow (Pianist)
Notes: The piece of music that Starbuck accuses the pianist of “stealing” is indeed borrowed – from original Battlestar Galactica composer Stu Phillips. The piece is actually called “Exploration” and opened early episodes of the classic series under a narration asking “What if life here began out there?”
LogBook entry by Earl Green
Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka Tano have been sent to the planet of Ryloth to attempt to free it from the blockade put in place by the Trade Federation. Ahsoka is given command of a fighter squadron, but most of her men are killed and the Republic ships are forced to retreat. Still needing to break the Seperatist hold on the planet, Anakin must find a way to win the conflict and help Ahsoka recover her lost nerve.
Lucie has resumed her boring, pre-time-travel life in Blackpool; after all, there’s no way anyone the Doctor could’ve survived his battle with Morbius on Karn. But the Headhunter seems to disagree, strongly enough that she appears at Lucie’s door and shoots her. The Headhunter also has the TARDIS in her possession, and with Lucie aboard, sets the timeship on a course for the planet Orbis – a world where she says the Doctor is very much alive. Lucie finds the Doctor living among the Celtans, a jellyfish-like-race which exists in an uneasy truce with the warlike Molluscari…and she also finds that the Doctor has spent six centuries here and has completely forgotten her. Despite this, Lucie tries to help him save the Celtans from a new Molluscari attack. And in the background, the Headhunter is playing all sides against the middle, regardless of how many lives will be lost as a result.
years, Kochanski met a tragic fate and is still mourned by Lister. (Next to Kochanski’s photo in the ship’s memorial observatory is a photo of the late Mel Bibby, who designed the more elaborate sets seen in seasons 3-8.) Holly is curiously absent for the entire story. Unlike the rest of Red Dwarf, Back To Earth was bankrolled by UK cable/satellite comedy channel Dave (appropriately enough) rather than airing on the BBC, though perhaps “bankrolled” is a term that should be used very loosely, as the budget for Back To Earth was no larger than the entire budget for the final season in 1999. Back To Earth does not reflect the storyline developed for the aborted Red Dwarf movie project, a much-mooted project that never got off the ground in the intervening decade due to a series of equally aborted financing deals. This is also the first Red Dwarf episode without an audience laugh track.
Notes: Michelle Ryan may be best known on both sides of the Atlantic for starring as Jamie Sommers in the short-lived NBC remake of The Bionic Woman. This marks the second appearance of Noma Dumezweni as UNIT’s Capt. Erisa Magambo, first seen – albeit in an alternate timeline – in season four’s