'Battlestar Galactica' is back on course

By DAVE MASON
Friday, March 16, 2007

Science fiction soars when it puts today's big questions into the future. That's why "Star Trek" has endured.

It's also why "Battlestar Galactica" is back on course after the weakest of its three seasons.

The two-part season-three finale, called "Crossroads," begins at 10 p.m. EDT Sunday (March 18) on Sci Fi. With it, "Galactica" has returned to its main storyline: the survival of the human civilization.

"Crossroads" asks whether Gaius Baltar (James Callis), the human who betrayed humanity, deserves a fair trial. Baltar is charged with collaborating with the Cylons (androids) who executed humans on New Caprica.

As president of the humans, he signed the execution order _ with a Cylon pointing a gun at his head. The only thing the humans know is that Baltar apparently approved their deaths.

He has done worse than that. He helped Number Six (Tricia Helfer), one of the Cylons, destroy the original Caprica with nuclear bombs. Still, "Galactica" is asking whether Baltar was a traitor on New Caprica. The fact that the question can be asked is significant. A good judicial system assumes that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

There's also the other side. Can humanity survive if people like Baltar go unpunished? And there aren't many humans left because of the Cylon attacks.

We deal with these questions today in our courts: the rights of the accused and the rights of the victims.

Sunday's episode is also a personal story. It focuses on a relationship that's more intriguing than the one between Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber) and Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), a third-season soap opera that just wouldn't end. (Kara apparently died in space in a recent episode, but her body was never recovered.)

The trial proceeds with Lee assisting Romo Lampkin (guest star Mark Sheppard), the lawyer defending Baltar. Lee's father, Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos), is one of the judges on the tribunal. "Crossroads" is about the conflict between father and son.

What's more, the second part of the finale, which airs at 10 p.m. March 25, has major surprises that won't be spoiled here. While the finale isn't as compelling as last season's ending, it will make some fans jump out of their seats.

"Battlestar Galactica" is back on course.

(Dave Mason of the Ventura County Star can be reached at dmason@VenturaCountyStar.com.)