GALACTICA

I neglected to comment on last week's episode, "Rapture," so let me start by saying that Rapture was my favorite episode from Season 3. I almost forgot I was watching left wing propaganda and enjoyed the unfolding of the plot and the mysteries of the five unseen Cylons and the meaning of the Eye of Jupiter. The only annoying part was Helo's treason in sending Sharon the Cylon back to her people and how they once again forgave him. Helo ought to be in the brig next to Gaius.

Now we come to last night's episode, and once again the show has wandered into topics from Iraq, with the issue du jour being the propriety of torturing Baltar for information and whether he deserves a trial.

Gaius is right that treason requires intent. The only intentional treason he committed was giving the nuclear bomb to a Number Six clone. Yet that's the only treason that the writers of the show seem to have forgotten. Baltar is guilty of something for violating his security clearance back on the original Caprica, but he thought he was helping a sexy blonde human gain a government contract. He had no idea he was helping Cylons to destroy the human race. And with regards to New Caprica, he didn't give away the secret location to the Cylons, so I don't see how he's responsible for much that happened. There wasn't any option but to surrender to the Cylons, a strategy that worked out very well in the end because the human race was rescued a few months later by Bill and Lee Adama.

Back in the original miniseries, Roslin was concerned about the welfare of the prisoners about the prison ship, but now she wants to toss Baltar out the airlock without a trial. Consistent? I don't think so.

I, personally, have never been a fan of putting leaders of foreign states on trial, whether it be Saddam Hussein or Philippe Petain who was the head of Vichy France. The purpose of a trial is to determine if a person has violated criminal laws, and in all these kangaroo trials guilt seems to be predetermined, with the purpose of the trial being to savour in the punishment of the defendant.

But I'm all in favor of convicting Baltar for handing that nuclear bomb over to Number Six. And a trial for Helo would be much appreciated also.

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Sorry this was a day late, but my hosting company changed my password and I was unable to update the website. That problem has been fixed.