BG-16: Take The Celestra

Flamingo Girl · May 10th, 2003, 05:53 PM

The Colonial vessel Celestra comes under the command of a Colonial war hero, Commander Kronus (formerly of the battlestar Rycon) who's career is celebrated in a special ceremony. And Starbuck finds his long-lost love, Aurora, who is committing espionage on the Celestra--rebelling against exploitive conditions--with Kronus as the purported leader.

Series stars; Richard Hatch as Apollo, Dirk Benedict as Starbuck, Herb Jefferson Jr. as Boomer, Lorne Greene as Adama, Terry Carter as Colonel Tigh, Maren Jensen as Athena, Tony Swartz as Jolly, Laurette Spang as Cassiopia, Noah Hathaway as Boxey, Sarah Rush as Rigel, David Greenan as Omega, Anne Lockhart as Sheba, Jack Stauffer as Bojay, Larry Manetti as Giles, Ed Begley, Jr. as Greenbean, and John Colicos as Baltar.

Guest starring Paul Fix as Cdr. Kronus, Nick Holt as Charka, Ana Alicia as Aurora, Randy Stumpf as Damon, and Richard Styles as Hermes.

(Thanks to Michael Faries Battlestar Galactica.com)

shiningstar · August 26th, 2003, 08:41 PM

I loved this episode I thought it was one of
Benidect's best!

amberstar · August 28th, 2003, 05:58 PM

I also liked this one. It gave us more history on Starbuck.

Amberstar

August 30th, 2003, 01:56 PM

Aurora is a hot babe

kingfish · August 30th, 2003, 02:03 PM

We also learn that Adama was Kronus' aid. This could have made for a great prequel with Adama and Cain serving under this legend.

shiningstar · September 8th, 2003, 07:53 PM

She was very beautiful and a great actress to boot.

MMaola · October 28th, 2003, 12:34 PM

I'm going to have to re-watch this episode. I don't have a clear recollection of it right now, other than I was impressed by the performance of Paul Fix as the renegade Commander Kronus.

Actually, when you come to think of it, beyond being wonderful and engaging sci-fi, Battlestar: Galactica gave us the opportunity to see in distinctly unique roles peformances by some very fine and famous guest stars: In the case of this episode, Paul Fix as Kronus, and in other episodes Lloyd Bridges as Cain, Anne Lockhart as Sheba, John Colicos as Baltar, Lew Ayres as President Adar, Lloyd Bochner as Commandant Leiter, the leader of the Eastern Alliance, Patrick McNee as Count Iblis (and the voice of the Cylon Imperious Leader / Narrator of the opening monologue), Jonathan Harris as the voice of the IL-series Cylon Lucifer, and -- in what I think was a stroke of GENIUS -- the wonderful and legendary Fred Astaire as Chameleon (aka, Starbuck's father!).

shiningstar · January 11th, 2004, 08:06 PM

I agree that would have made a fantastic PREQUEL Kingfish!

January 16th, 2004, 10:51 PM

This was one of the better episodes, another indication that by this time, near the end of the season, the writers and actors were really starting to hit their stride.

A good back-story for Starbuck and good work by Ana Alicia in her pre-Falcon Crest days. She was hot!

Although it's quick and kind of an afterthought, I loved the new footage of the Vipers landing in the Celestra's docking bay. Instead of seeing them stationary as we did everywhere else in the series, we say them moving forward and then Dirk and Richard disembarking. Cool.

February 14th, 2004, 12:11 PM

**

A throw away episode

shiningstar · March 4th, 2004, 05:14 PM

I loved that footage too. It was nice to see Dirk and Richard actually
"disembarking" their vipers

launchcruiser7 · March 18th, 2004, 02:12 PM

best of the none storyline shows what happened to the trip to lunar7 and teera maybe this one was in the can and saved for later must have been shown after canceling was known to be soon missed those star destoryers why did they leave terra warstar cerbesus checking outer fleet marker launch when ready

March 19th, 2004, 08:10 PM

This episode provided an interesting look from the perspective of "little people" who didn't really know what was going on at the highest levels where Adama worked. They thought that Adama approved of the way the Celestra was run, and they wanted freedom from such an opprossive government. The realization that Adama DIDN'T KNOW how Kronus was running his ship helped show that Adama was not all-knowing and all-wise. It was really a pretty deep episode if you think about it.

shiningstar · March 20th, 2004, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomasbombadil

This episode provided an interesting look from the perspective of "little people" who didn't really know what was going on at the highest levels where Adama worked. They thought that Adama approved of the way the Celestra was run, and they wanted freedom from such an opprossive government. The realization that Adama DIDN'T KNOW how Kronus was running his ship helped show that Adama was not all-knowing and all-wise. It was really a pretty deep episode if you think about it.

The point that you just made about Adama NOT knowing HOW the CELESTRA
was being run .........was one of the reasons why I loved this episode. Because
rather then turning Commander Adama into a God I think in a way it made him
more human to everyone watching the ep.

BRG · September 27th, 2004, 08:23 AM

I enjoyed this one. 3 out of 5.

I can't really add much to what has already been said. It was good to get more background on Starbuck, and it added a wee bit of tention between him & Cassie. Also, I really liked the fact that Adama is not aware of the coditions on all the fleets ships. It was touched on early in the series with some high fliers living in luxury on the Rising Star while others lived like animals in old freighters eating scraps. This time we have a crew treating the people on there ships like slaves, forcing them to mutiny. Naturaly these people think Adama and all his warriors are corrupt. This helps reinforce the dificulty faced by those in power, not only do the have to protect the fleet from Cylon attack, but incedents like this could tear the population apart if it is not delt with swiftly. So yes, a pretty deep episode indeed!

Kronus was an interesting character. At first he come across as an unsympathetic character. He's an old school military man who obviously thinks he is a supirior Commander than Adama. And he treats everybody on his ships as he would a trained Warrior, even civillians unsuited to military life. But once we get to know him, he's not so bad. And once he realises that Charka has been abusing his position, and it happened under his command, he becomes a strong leader in setting things right. And he got his hero's death at the end, with full military send off.

BTW, I'm no expert in American history, but the way Kronus is dismissive of Adama as his "former aide" reminded me of a documentary I watched on General MacArthur. He also used the same tone in describing his "former aide" General Eisenhower. Coincidence?

BRG

PS- a wee trivia note for Star Trek fans. Paul Fix, who played Commander Kronus in this episode, was almost the ships doctor! In the second pilot, 'Where No Man Has gone before', Fix played Dr Piper. The series was picked up, but Piper was droped from the crew and replaced by Dr 'Bones' McCoy, played of corse by DeForest Kelly. But it just shows you what might have been.

Charybdis · November 19th, 2004, 10:55 AM

You know, I was just watching Baltar's Escape and then Take the Celestra and I noticed something. There are different types of shuttles!!

I really had never thought about this for the most part, but in Balatar's Escape, when Apollo and Baltar are in the shuttle, there is nothing behind them except the rows of seats up against each side of the shuttle and a whole lot of nothing in the middle...

Forward now to Take the Celestra. When they take in the mutineers, there's Cmdr. Kronus sitting at his chair right behind the pilot's seat in a special Commander's seating section!!! In fact, right before taking off, Apollo even says that the "Commander's shuttle ready to launch."

So, I guess they fixed up that shuttle to be a bit different. Any other instances of a changed interior of a shuttle that anyone has caught??

Charybdis · November 19th, 2004, 10:56 AM

Darn, I had the wrong episode!!! I meant Murder on the Rising Star instead of Baltar's Escape!!! Sorry!!

Fragmentary · January 2nd, 2005, 03:41 PM

What's the deal with the lasers in this episode? Am I wrong here, or is this the one and only time that the FX guys animated laser beams firing from the colonial pistols? That sure seems out of left field doesn't it?

justjackrandom · January 3rd, 2005, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fragmentary

What's the deal with the lasers in this episode? Am I wrong here, or is this the one and only time that the FX guys animated laser beams firing from the colonial pistols? That sure seems out of left field doesn't it?

We first see it in WOTG. Whether it was intentional or not, the FX team only animated the laser beam in when the Colonials were shooting at living humanoid beings. I won’t go into too much detail here, but I have a theory that I explain in detail on my ever-so-slowly-built web site, which basically suggests that the Colonial weapons are true lasers, but incorporate a plasma component setting that increases their effectiveness against living targets.

JJR

Senmut · January 3rd, 2005, 05:41 PM

Adama as the cadet assigned to his first cruise aboard the same ship as Cronus, who is say a Lieutenant. Yes, that would have made an interesting story.

Eric Paddon · January 4th, 2005, 01:10 AM

If Kronus is supposed to have died as a result of a laser shot then the FX team didn't do their job right because I looked at the scene twice tonight and there is no shot of a laser blast striking Kronus. There are two shots fired toward him before he reaches the control stick, and then there is after that a close-up of Charka firing a shot, but the inference is more that he aimed at Apollo firing back at him.

Kronus looks more like he dropped dead of a heart attack from the strain of trying to regain control of the ship if you ask me.

Fragmentary · January 4th, 2005, 02:29 AM

I agree with the heart attack. In fact, until you see him in the coffin its not even really clear that he hasn't just passed out from the strain.

Senmut · January 5th, 2005, 03:13 AM

Am I the only one that remembers seeing a laser shot in the original broadcaast? I feel like I'm from an alternate universe here.

Eric Paddon · January 5th, 2005, 08:41 AM

I think it's just a case of misremembering, Senmut. I rewound the section twice on the DVD and there is no laser shot striking him.

Senmut · January 5th, 2005, 08:36 PM

Then I shall have to rewatch it, because I recall it on the original TV broadcast quit clearly.

cyfilon · October 30th, 2010, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingfish

We also learn that Adama was Kronus' aid. This could have made for a great prequel with Adama and Cain serving under this legend.

one of the plot gap's in the shjow was why was'nt kornos with kane and adamma when planning the raid also if what he said was true if he was in command of 600 fighting shio's [not just fighter's ;VIPERS' BUT FIGHTING ship's ]

including the battlestar ;RYCON' bonus point's if you can tell what is cool about that name.
if he was right was there 600 ship's in a fleet and if so where did they all go??. this was also the only time a female dress uniform is on screen and a funneral is shown. some people think this might have been shot before gretting's/terra and shown after they found out they were getting the axe. why was terra not even thought about?"?. as the rest of the show just turn off your brain and forget about the lost in space jumpsuit's and the viper joystick on bridge ps can any one name the othe celestria class ship seen and what episode she is in. thank's alot and happy hollowthank'smas to you all.