33 (Battlestar Galactica)

Infobox Television episode
Title = 33
Series = Battlestar Galactica
Season = 1
Episode = 1
Airdate = UK: Start date|2004|10|18 [cite news| title = Sky One finds the outlandish once more in its schedules| publisher = Cult tv| date = 17 October, 2004| url = http://www.cult.tv/index.php?cm_id=606&cm_type=article| accessdate = 2007-12-21] US: Start date|2005|01|14
Production =
Writer = Ronald D. Moorecite episode| title = 33| episodelink = 33 (Battlestar Galactica)| series = Battlestar Galactica| serieslink = Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)| network = SCI FI| airdate = 2005-01-14| season = 1| number = 1]
Director = Michael Rymer
Photographer = Stephen McNutt
Episode list = Episode chronology
Prev = Battlestar Galactica miniseries
Next = Water

"33" is the first episode of the reimagined 2004 "Battlestar Galactica" television series, immediately following the events of the miniseries.cite web|url = http://www.tvguide.com/detail/tv-show.aspx?tvobjectid=191395&more=ucepisodelist&episodeid=4371612|title = Episode Detail: 33|accessdate = 2007-12-02|work = TVGuide.com|publisher = TV Guide|quote = First up: The crew is driven to exhaustion trying to elude the Cylons.] "33" won the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Formcite web|url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/?page_id=12|title = 2005 Hugo Awards|accessdate = 2007-12-02|work = The Hugo Awards|publisher = World Science Fiction Society] , and drew a 2.6 household Nielsen rating, attracting 3.1 million viewers and making it the #2 program on cable (8pm-11pm).cite web|url = http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20050119scifi01|title = VIEWERS EMBRACE SCI FI'S 'GALACTICA'|accessdate = 2007-10-22|date=2005-01-19|publisher = The Futon Critic]

Plot

Having fled the besieged Ragnar Anchorage at the end of the miniseries, the convoy of refugee spaceships is relentlessly pursued and attacked by Cylon Basestars. The colonial fleet must execute a faster-than-light (FTL) jump every 33 minutes to escape the Cylons, who consistently arrive at the new jump coordinates approximately 33 minutes later. After five days and 237 jumps, the fleet's crew and passengers, particularly those aboard "Galactica", have been operating without sleep while facing the strain of nearly constant military action. "Galactica"'s Viper crews must battle the Cylon Basestars and Raiders in a delaying action to cover the escape of the other ships with every jump. Most of the episode focuses on the perils of the constant escape, speculation on how the fleet is being tracked by the Cylons, and the deterioration of the crews from stress and fatigue. After an update of the survivor headcount (discounting 300 over-counted souls), the President's survivors headcount whiteboard total is reduced to 49,998 souls.

Meanwhile, on Caprica, Lt. Karl Agathon (call sign "Helo") is still alive and running from Cylon patrols. While being chased, he manages to destroy two Cylon Centurions, but is quickly captured and taken prisoner by a Number Six. Shocked when his Raptor pilot (Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii) apparently returns to rescue him, he doesn't know that not only is she a Cylon, but she's not even the Sharon he knows: Boomer is still with the colonial fleet, aboard "Galactica". The Number Six Cylon watches as "Boomer" and "Helo" flee.

Back at the fleet, the "Olympic Carrier", a commercial passenger vessel with 1345 souls aboard, is missing and may have been left behind during the 238th consecutive FTL jump. With the ship assumed lost to the Cylons, the attacks unexpectedly cease, allowing the fleet some respite. Three hours later the "Olympic Carrier" suddenly rejoins the fleet. Commander Adama is suspicious of the missing ship's sudden arrival; and Dr. Baltar's internal Number Six suggests to Baltar that the "Olympic Carrier" has been infiltrated by Cylon agents, tracking the ship and the colonial fleet all along. Baltar advises President Laura Roslin that the ship may have been infiltrated with Cylons during its absence, and is now a threat to the fleet's safety. Orders are given for the ship not to approach the fleet, but the vessel does not respond and continues towards the fleet. 33 minutes after the "Olympic Carrier"'s return, Cylon Basestars arrive, and "Galactica's" radiological sensors detect active nuclear weapons aboard the "Olympic Carrier". President Roslin and Commander Adama order Capt. Lee "Apollo" Adama and Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace to destroy it.

After hesitating to fire on what is ostensibly a civilian ship, they destroy the ship while the rest of the colonial fleet jumps away. This is a relief to Baltar, as the "Olympic Carrier" was carrying Dr. Amorak, a passenger who had earlier contacted the President and insisted that he had information regarding a traitor in their midst. Baltar suspected that Amorak had knowledge about Baltar's unwitting collusion with the Cylon attack on the colonies. Baltar's Number Six declares that God is looking after Baltar's interests by allowing the destruction of the "Olympic Carrier".

After the final attack, the fleet makes one more jump, and the Cylons do not return. The President's survivor whiteboard aboard "Colonial One" is updated with one additional soul (to 47,973) with the birth of the fleet's first child aboard the "Rising Star"—a boy.

Production

With sleep deprivation one of the major plot points of the episode, actor Edward James Olmos (William Adama) liaised with an expert on the subject and the crew to best depict the actual effects realistically. Following up, director Michael Rymer gave each main cast member a specific symptom to play up, so as to avoid repetition on screen. Olmos and several other cast members took their study a step further, to immerse themselves by restricting their sleep patterns to about three hours a night to emphasize what their expert was imparting. cite book | last = Bassom | first = David | editor = Adam "Adama" Newell | title = Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion | origdate = 2005-06-01 | date= 2005-06-01 | publisher = Titan Books | isbn = 978-1845760977 | pages = 46 ]

Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama) claimed later that "33" is his favourite episode, as well as "...the perfect episode of "Battlestar Galactica"." Emphasizing the dark, gritty, and nightmarish aspects of the episode, Bamber felt it was a microcosm of the series as a whole.cite web|url = http://acedmagazine.com/content/view/677/1/|title = Battlestar Galactica: Cast Interviews|accessdate = 2007-12-03|last = Bensoussan|first = Jenna|date= 2007-11-24|work = ACED Magazine|publisher = ACED Magazine, Inc.]

Writer Ronald D. Moore explained on his blog that the number 33 had no hidden meaning or significance, only that he felt it sufficiently long to allow minor functions like snacking, showering, or cat napping, but was too short to allow anybody to gain any meaningful sleep and recharge their batteries. Further, Moore intentionally gave the number no meaning to avoid creating and inserting unnecessary technobabble into a drama-driven episode.cite web|url= http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/01/#a000012|title= Why 33 minutes?|accessdate= 2008-01-27|last= Moore|first= Ronald D.|authorlink= Ronald D. Moore|date= 2005-01-13|work= Ron Moore Blog|publisher= SCI FI|quote= [T] he mystery of 33 will be permanent on this show. No explanation, not even the attempt. Let it just be a number that seemed like an eternity for five long days on the battlestar "Galactica".]

References

External links

* [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/episodes.php?seas=1&ep=0101&act=1 "33" at SCIFI.COM]
* at the Battlestar Wiki