The Lost Warrior Analysis
By Walt Atwood

STORY SYNOPSIS

Flight Captain Apollo is on a solo Viper mission when he encounters a Cylon patrol. Hopelessly outgunned, he keeps hailing the Galactica for help while he tries to evade his pursuers near an unknown planetary system. Though the warrior is successful at outmaneuvering the Cylons and even destroying one of their ships, his mayday goes unanswered. Adama declares his son's mission a loss, writing off the transmissions as "meant for Cylon ears." Even though Starbuck and Boomer are eager to seek out Apollo, Adama refuses.

The Cylons regroup after Apollo's counter-attack, but choose not to continue pursuit. The new course the Viper chooses leads out of their range. The Cylons deduce the new heading is a ruse, away from the Galactica. Apollo, meanwhile, chose the heading because he is running out of fuel, with no hope of return to his home battlestar. He finds a habitable planet and glides down into what appears to be nighttime in wooded, hilly farm country. He declares himself lucky for making such a soft landing. He is discovered by mother-and-son homesteaders Vella (portrayed by Katherine Cannon) and Puppis (Johnny Timko). Though Puppis is thrilled with Apollo's arrival, Vella seems weary. She insists the Viper be concealed in the brush. Once done, the homesteaders welcome the warrior back to their ranch, on a world they identify as Equellis.

While Apollo samples the homesteaders' hospitality, a strange horse approaches outside. Everyone is surprised to see a battered Cylon centurion, whom the natives call Red-Eye (Rex Cutter), perched atop the horse. Apollo hides inside the house and watches as the mother and son greet Red-Eye. The Cylon was sent by the ever-watchful town gangster, LaCerta (Claude Earl Jones) to investigate a strange disturbance in the night sky. Just then, Red-Eye is startled by another strange horse. The apparently malfunctioning Cylon swiftly draws a Colonial blaster to greet Vella's approaching brother, Bootees (Lance LeGault). Red-Eye warns all of the homesteaders not to defy LaCerta's will; their "tribute" (shake-down) is overdue. The menacing centurion rides back into the town.

Back inside the house, Vella introduces Bootees to Apollo. Bootees is ecstatic at the notion of a Colonial warrior-- a flight captain, no less --who is armed and can rid the village of Red-Eye. Vella explains that Puppis' father, Martin, crashed his fighter in the desert. Vella nursed Martin back to health, they married, and she bore their son. When Puppis was still very young, Red-Eye appeared and the Cylon killed Martin for his blaster. Townspeople who challenged the LaCerta's centurion enforcer with the local air-powered weapons ultimately wind up dead.

On the bridge of the Galactica, young Boxey visits Adama while Starbuck, Tigh and Boomer fidget at the thought that Apollo will not be returning. The little boy is staying up late to greet his step-father. Nobody is ready to break the news. Starbuck and Boomer offer to keep the child company.

Apollo sets out on horseback for the village, determined to learn about where Red-Eye came from. Could there be a Cylon garrison on Equellis? In the town saloon, LaCerta spots newcomer Apollo immediately, and dispatches henchman Marco (Red West) to size-up and harass the pilot, who is now unarmed and wearing indigenous clothing. But Apollo insists on sitting in the corner with Red-Eye. The obviously malfunctioning Cylon is instantly suspicious of Apollo, and starts threatening violence. The exchange catches LaCerta's attention. The boss invites Apollo over for a drink. It becomes clear the centurion follows LaCerta's every command. Apollo offers to work for the town boss, much to the gangster's amusement.

In the pilots' barracks aboard the Galactica, Starbuck, Boomer, Jolly and Greenbean are playing cards with Boxey, who beats them all. Cassiopeia (Laurette Spang) scolds the warriors for drinking, smoking and playing cards before the boy, who is staying up too late. The warriors defend their innovative approach to baby-sitting, insisting they are drinking fruit juice. As Starbuck's girlfriend relieves the men of custody of the boy, the warriors consider a plan to determine their strike commander's fate.

In Adama's quarters, Tigh insists that Adama is bending over backwards to avoid the appearance of wanting to rescue the "Commander's son." The Galactica will only be in range a short time if they are to attempt a recovery. Adama relents, and Tigh immediately walks over to a comm-link and orders recon Vipers to launch. Starbuck and Boomer are in flight almost immediately.

As Apollo returns to Vella's ranch, he finds Puppis, who just barely managed to shoot a wolf-like "lupus" with his air-gun. Apollo is proud of the boy. Once back in the house, they learn that Bootees' livestock were raided by LaCerta for the "tribute." Vella is worried that her brother will get into a confrontation. True to form, Apollo enters the saloon, unarmed, in time to see a drunken Bootees die in a gun fight with Red-Eye. Apollo quickly grabs any loose air-guns and surrenders them. This outrages Puppis, but it also stops the violence. Apollo learns from one of LaCerta's ladies that Red-Eye was found damaged in the crash site of a downed Cylon fighter. The centurion has regarded LaCerta as if he were a Cylon commanding officer ever since. Vella is about to depart with a resentful Puppis in a horse-drawn carriage when Apollo has second thoughts. The warrior retrieves his blaster and, much to his hostess' chagrin, confronts LaCerta. Red-Eye appears, and Apollo wins the gun draw. The Cylon falls in a shower of sparks. Back at the ranch, Apollo must dampen Puppis' enthusiasm by reminding him that the "heroic" gunfight with the Cylon was no different than the confrontation the boy had with the lupus. Vella offers to show Apollo the crash site where Martin landed; maybe the ship still holds some fuel.

In space, Starbuck keeps encouraging Boomer to stretch their probe a little further in pursuit of Apollo. Boomer warns that they are nearing the point of no return. Apollo's ship emerges from Equellis, and the three Vipers head for home.

A Second Look

While GALACTICA did put considerable effort into reviving the Western at a time when it was long-since dead, the series makers did not try hard enough. Other sci-fi and action-adventure series have attempted to graft a re-treaded COOL HAND LUKE plot onto a decidedly non-Western series format. It is a dubious endeavor. In this case, the Western homestead-and-corrupt-village seems to serve as more of a window dressing or a transparent plot device than a serious discovery of another human-inhabited world. To see how a series takes the notion of a prize fighter stumbling into a frontier dictatorship and raising a hand for freedom more seriously, one need look no further than the 1972 made-for-TV movie/pilot for KUNG FU, or any of a number of the subsequent episodes of the series, especially the 1973 outing "The Hoots." This series, sometimes referred to as a "far-Eastern Western" because it featured David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, an outcast Shaolin priest and Kung Fu master who escapes to the American south-west of the 1870's to find his American relatives, proved a drama focusing on a nomadic character could exhibit superior story-telling and win high audience ratings (the show was canceled by Carradine, not flagging popularity or troubled returns) while showing greater depth and conviction, all without breaking the bank.

What could have been a higher quality story as yet another two-part adventure instead becomes a chopped-down all-nighter which leaves the viewer with more curiosities than messages. Granted, it is time that action-adventure television showed a hero who was understandably afraid and worried about children being exposed to violence. But this GALACTICA outing fumbled the opportunity to give that important moral a better hearing. In the end, Apollo doesn't even want to tell his fellow warriors what happened.

To use of LaCerta and Marco as frontier tyrants was a waste. Claude Earl Jones seems to have trouble conjuring up a believable strongman, and Red West seems longing to appear in a parody of a Western instead of the real thing. At least we get to see Rex Cutter quick-draw in a Cylon suit. Ironic that the Cylon's appearances save the day for this lackluster imitation of a tried-and-true Hollywood theme. It takes a very poor effort to bungle a plot like this. What is so sad is how GALACTICA managed to pull in this kind of guest cast and not fully utilize them. Clearly, less time should've been spent off-world so more time could be devoted to the story on Equellis. Instead, Apollo simply shoots the Cylon, sermons the boy and then is next seen in space. How did he get to the desert to forage for fuel in Martin's fighter? Did the townspeople help him? Interesting how Apollo, defender a freedom and protector of human interests, just dethrones LaCerta and walks quietly into the night without another thought. Here was a golden opportunity for Richard Hatch to use the Apollo character to exhibit some leadership outside of GALACTICA's war theme. The people of Equellis could've been recruited to help find the other Viper. Giving them a goal as a newly freed community of citizens would not necessarily have been a difficult or expensive thing. Showing a crowd congratulating their hero could've led to a quest to help him return to space. Such a quest, while a simple plot device, would allow for Apollo to lead the people in doing something constructive, a more worthy "tribute" which could've restored their self-respect through accomplishment. Instead, all we see is one of the townspeople snatching up Red-Eye's weapon. No doubt this would set the stage for more abuse and hardship on Equellis.

This episode also missed out on the opportunity to show how a clearly human colony could exist with no apparent knowledge of the Twelve Tribes. Was Equellis settled by a stray offshoot of the Thirteenth Tribe? Where did Martin come from? Another Battlestar? The Pegasus, perhaps? The Equellisians (?) themselves are a curious lot. They live in metal houses and socialize in a metal saloon, all illuminated with artificial lighting. They apparently posses power sources to perpetuate Red-Eye's reign of terror. Yet all we see is an isolated, backwards village and homesteading. These people seem to know about space travel, and appear receptive to the idea of the Great Colonies and the war. Yet they are obviously not interested in these ventures. Could Equellis have been colonized by other lost warriors who abandoned all attempts to rejoin their comrades in space? Could these Equellisians be descendants of castaways (or even deserters) of some downed expedition who choose not to teach "the whole truth" to their children? These are obvious questions Apollo could have, and possibly should have, explored in a better-prepared two-part story which would serve as a better follow-up to "Lost Planet of the Gods."

What this episode did do well was allow Terry Carter to put in a good performance as Tigh. The guy gets to show some passion in taking a stand.

Where is Athena in all of this? She doesn't even show up to express concern or report on Apollo's transmissions. Maybe instead of showing Boxey at the card game, they could've shown her talking with Adama and Tigh.

There is not a hint of science fiction in this entire episode. To see a slightly more genuine sci-fi attempt at a vaguely similar story, watch the STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE episode from 1994 entitled "Paradise", in which Sisko and O'Brien are stranded on a planet inhabited by community of humans who have rejected any form of technology. The tyrant versus outsider theme, in which weapons become a precious commodity, is executed much more effectively.

Spectacle Value

Metal-colored cowboy hats and a synthesizer-player in a saloon who sounds like a perverse parody of disco. Only in the 1970's. I love that decade!

Another '70's-only vignette: the kid gets all the spoils in a "pyramid" card game.

A curious pattern is already forming in this series: all the action happens at night. Even the townspeople congregate at the saloon through the wee hours, as if they sleep all day. Or is there any daylight at all?

Another curious pattern is how we have to watch each individual pilot launching from the Galactica. A bit tedious, this adds nothing to the story, while arguably detracting from it. It's great spectacle, but also time consuming.

In case this section of the review hasn't betrayed the hint yet, this episode contained little spectacle except from the shoot-out near the ending. Maybe that was good for this story. It should not have been about space battles or FX. Too bad a stronger story didn't fill the vacuum.

IF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA WERE NEW TODAY:

They would not likely get away with such a lackluster attempt as this episode. It would have to be a two-parter, with at least a brief mention of what happened to Baltar and Lucifer. While the story could not heavily involve the Cylons in space, it would have to at least briefly explain the fate of those two characters in part 1. Maybe they could briefly reappear in Part 2, pursuing the wrong course and finally coming to realize it. If GALACTICA were to be even semi-serialized in a revival attempt, obligatory scenes like these would be mandatory.

The main thrust of the story would have to be Apollo saving the Equellisian community and recruiting their aid in foraging for Viper fuel. (But, then again, maybe the "lost warrior" should've been someone other than Apollo.) The "lost warrior", whomever that would be, would have to interact with more of the villagers, exhibiting a curiosity about their origins. Maybe a rediscovery of the Equellisian heritage could serve as part of the boy's-- and the community's --coming of age.

How about seeing some daylight on Equellis? A two-parter might make the cost of daytime scenes easier to swallow.

Think of what they could've done by rearranging the characters: instead of the widowed mother Vella, they could've used a widower-father in Bootees. And the "lost warrior" could've been Athena. Apollo would've been arguing alongside Tigh about rescuing "the Commander's daughter." It would've given Richard Hatch a different role, as the leader of the rescue. That role could easily have its own "B story" in a two-parter, without diminishing Hatch's star-status on the show. Maren Jensen would also have had a chance to do something other than counting fighters on a tracking display or piloting a Viper.

TIDBITS & NITPICKS

Just what is the strike commander of a battlestar doing, acting as a solo decoy on a recon mission? Major no-no. It makes no sense for the fleet's top-ranking active pilot to throw his ship-- and life --away, alone. This argument especially resonates after what Apollo said about risking shuttle pilots in "Lost Planet of the Gods."

Richard Hatch's performance in this episode resonates the notion that Apollo's rank of "flight captain" may not indicate a marine/airforce grading (O-3, between 1st lieutenant and major) but instead a higher, naval or British airforce connotation. (Roughly O-6, like a captain of a ship; equivalent to a colonel). The way that Tigh, Adama and Apollo banter with one another seems to indicate their ranks are all high and all close to one-another. Maybe Apollo is a ladder-climbing, risk-taking prodigy. In a related bit, Tigh, who would later take command of the Battlestar Pegasus in "The Living Legend, Part 1", again identifies himself as a fighter pilot. While we never see Tigh serving in this role, he seems to establish his character as having done that. It makes one wonder why he didn't hop into a Viper during the "Lost Planet of the Gods" outings when there was a "manpower" shortage.

Obviously the Cylons are familiar with this region of space; they've been here at least once, maybe twice, before. So why do they leave Equellis untouched? Maybe the Cylons don't bother with homestead planets which exhibit little or no space flight interest. This would explain why so many human colonies are left alone by the Cylons. Or maybe the Cylons only occupy undeveloped planets (by space faring standards) when they offer some strategic value, such as location.

The people of Equellis live what appears to be a somewhat simple, homesteading lifestyle. Vella even keeps a fire going at night. Yet this Spartan existence seems to clash with her Toni Tenille hairdo, and he son's bushy coif. Another dead giveaway as to when this was made.

Vella's homestead looks conspicuously like the ranch which Hector and Vector kept waiting for Michael and company on Paradeen in "Greetings from Earth". At least then we get to see it in daylight.

Neat how Tigh had Starbuck and Boomer in their cockpits at the ready in the launch tubes. Adama's tutorial in sneakiness in "Saga of a Star World, Pt. 3" stayed with the colonel.