Battlestar Galactica (TV Series) Exodus: Part 1 (2006) User Reviews

The Threads in the Big Twist Begin to Weave in this Episode

[mstomaso · 8/10 · 30 December 2007]

Season 3 of BSG involves one of the most well-executed season-long (more actually) story arcs in sci fi history. Although Exodus Part I is not one of the most exciting episodes in this arc, it sets up some important relationships and situations which will play out very well in later episodes within the arc.

Adama is making plans to return to New Caprica to rescue the colonists from the Cylon occupation, while Lee is ordered to protect the civilian fleet with Pegasus. Sharon will lead the rescue party. Meanwhile Starbuck continues to undergo psychological experimentation and torture at the hands Leoben Conoy; the resistance on New Caprica begins to experience serious breaches, and Baltar's alienation from the colonists and his depression become more profound.

Very good episode - but don't bother if you haven't seen its predecessors. Season three won't make much sense watched out of sequence.

Preparing for rescue

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 16 November 2011]

As the previous episode came to a close it looked as though a group of prisoners, including Laura Roslin and Tom Zarek were about to be gunned down by a group of Cylons… indeed we even heard the gunfire. We soon learn what really happened as the action jumps back an hour and we learn that Chief Tyrol learnt what the Cylons were planning and when and where it would happen so it was in fact the Cylons that we heard being gunned down. We also see that the group that was ambushed while meeting Sharon survived and discovered a map on one of the Cylons indicating that Ellen had betrayed them. Away from the action Cylon Number Three is having strange dreams that lead her to a human fortune teller; she informs her that Sharon and Helo's baby is still alive and that one day she will hold her. Back on Galactica they ready themselves for the rescue mission but we will have to wait until the second part of this two-parter to see how that goes.

While this episode was just preparing things to the real action which will inevitable take place in part two it wasn't lacking excitement of its own. More importantly it featured some great character development for Cylon Number Three; up until now she was just another Cylon but it is becoming clear that she is showing a distinct interest in Hera; Lucy Lawless did a fine job in the role. Although he was only in for a short while James Callis continues to impress as Baltar; his character is far from a pantomime villain as he appears to be genuinely distressed at some of the actions he has been forced to make. After this fine episode I'm looking forward to seeing how the story of the rescue of the people from New Caprica turns out in the next episode.

Not too bad, but not great, either

[sarastro7 · 7/10 · 2 July 2007]

In the third episode of the third season, we follow, for the third time (fourth if you count the final episode of season two) life on the dreary New Caprica, where human insurgents are fighting the Cylon occupiers. This can get a bit boring by now. There is some development, and the characterization is fair, but something bigger and flashier - something more "sci-fi-ish" - is missing.

One wonders about the significance of the human/Cylon hybrids. Why is Hera so immensely important? Being half-Cylon, can she ever really be trusted by humans? And it's not like she's the only one. Back on Caprica, the Cylons harvested ovaries from lots of humans, so Kara's daughter (if what the Cylons say is even true, which is doubtful) ought to be just one of many such hybrids under Cylon control. Where are they? Why don't we see them? Of course, it may be because the Cylons are lying. But I still don't see how Hera can be the only hybrid. The Cylons seem to be compatible with humans, and it's not like they're not having sex with them!

In fact, the very mature and cool theme of the third season does seem to be that the Cylons are trying for the experience of being human, and that's why they have all these relationships with them, like trying (by force) to start families, or even just using sexual blackmail. Thematically, I think this is kind of cool. It's as if the Cylons have one single inability: they can't love. So they see love as God (after all, everybody knows that God is love), and try to achieve the ability to love, for instance by creating hybrids. If this is what they're doing, I think it's a very interesting story. Of course, it may turn out that it's completely different, and that there isn't really any proper explanation for anything, which unfortunately happens a lot in genre TV shows. But for now I think this is still a very interesting and promising show.

7 out of 10 for this episode.

Good episode, but the seeds for the show's decline are evident

[bgaiv · 7/10 · 23 September 2022]

This particular episode was a fine part of the New Caprica story. It's a bit of a lull, but certainly fine for the larger story.

But the main detriment here relates to the broader continuing story, which I won't go into except to say the humanizing of the humanoid cylons completely robs them of their threatening nature.

Basically they turned terrifying mysterious robots into the equivalent of annoying creepy neighbors. It seems clear Ron Moore became enchanted with the idea of synthetic robots that are so human like they begin to act like humans.

Well, great, that's a premise for a movie, not a series. Once the robots are just like people, it's just another soap opera.

So... an armada capable of hunting down and cremating billions of people over 12 planets can't manage 1000 malnourished fighters

[tomasajdari · 2/10 · 29 May 2018]

.... without any widespread public support that is armed with 50 rifles, 118 bullets and 2 g of explosives. One billion battle robots and 10 000 space fighters against 1000 malnourished rebel seniors. I see. Nice clichéd rescue, very refreshing.

So Moore succeeded in neutering the threat that has driven the entire series, killing the whole project.