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Battlestar Galactica

Flight of the Phoenix

Season 2, Episode 9, Aired Sep 16, 2005

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Sharon informs Adama that the Galatica has been infected with a computer virus that is tampering with the basic ship functions and is scanning them for weaknesses. All this is preparation for a major assault by the Cylon Raiders. So with the clock ticking, Adama must pull himself together and decide whether or not she can be trusted. Meanwhile the flight crew is hard at work on a new fighter named The Blackbird.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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Tricia Helfer

Number Six
Mary McDonnell

Laura Roslin
Katee Sackhoff

Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
James Callis

Gaius Baltar
Jamie Bamber

Lee "Apollo" Adama
Grace Park

Sharon Valerii

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Fan Episode Reviews (34)

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Flight of the Phoenix

10

"Perfect"

By TrueTvWatcher, Jan 15, 2012

Flight of the Phoenix was another perfect and astounding episode of Battlestar Galactica and I really enjoyed watching because there was a lot of character development, some action, and other touching moments. It was cool how Chief Tyrol built the Blackbird and Helo's idea was great. It was interesting to see how others were adjusting to him. Adama uses Sharon to save the fleet from a few hundred raiders in an awesome scene. The characters are what really made the episode great and in the last scene Chief Tyrol tries to reconnect with this version of Sharon. I look forward to watching the next episode!!!!!!!!!moreless
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The one where: Tyrol wants to build a viper from scratch.

7.0

"Good"

By MovieMark, Nov 04, 2011

A lot of plot elements that had to just sit on the back-burner, in order to accommodate for the bigger picture, come rushing to the forefront in this character-driven episode. And yep, I'm not afraid to admit that I welled up just a tad toward Laura's reaction to seeing her name engraved on the new ship that Chief Tyrol built.
I've said it before and I'll no doubt say it again: Mary McDonnell is such an absolutely terrific actor. Every single moment with Roslin feels utterly sincere, and her reaction acting is absolutely flawless. She managed to capture joy, heart-break and hope masterfully during the final moments of the episode. And her reaction to Doc Cottle's prognosis was just so believable and realistic. Hats off to her!
Elsewhere the episode deals with the changing dynamics with the crew now that Helo and Sharon are back from Caprica. Tyrol still has so much love for Sharon, which is more than a little conflicting for him, since it's not actually the Sharon he grew to love. He's rightfully miffed over
With a cylon virus onboard, Adama, too, must set aside his prejudices of Sharon and ask for her help. I know that he has every single right to want her dead, but hopefully now her efforts here will prove to him that there is something inherently different about this cylon model. And how cool was that visual of the hundreds of infected cylon fighters crashing into each other? That FX shot of one particular raider cut in half was beautiful and horrible at the same time. Basically, my kind of awesome.
A few notables...
It's rare to see an actor coming off genuine when they're forced to endure a laughing scene. Katee's laugh really did seem like it was induced from a lack of oxygen. Maybe she's very method and had all of the air vacuumed from that set?
Gotta love the new viper! I hope we continue to see it throughout the season.
Ew, that scene where Sharon gets very Matrix-y for a moment made me uncomfortable. I loved Tigh's ''what the hell'' reactions.
Oh no, Billy, is Lee moving in on your gal?
All in all, a solid character-driven episode.moreless
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You don't get to call it.

6.5

"Fair"

By kickdoor, Dec 01, 2010

Damn that cold open was crazy good., probably the best one since Kobol's Last Gleaming Pt. 1. I loved the shots of Chief diagnosing the Viper interspersed with flashbacks of his time with Sharon. Him still trying to come to grips with how he could have loved(and still does love) a Cylon made for a powerful scene. His confrontation with Helo was the best part though and the best dialogue Chief has gotten thus far.

Chief: "Did she fill you in on the rest of the plan? She and I were gonna muster out at the end of our service. Ya know, that we would get married, maybe we would have children. I guess I'm just a big frakking idiot though, huh? Probably that Gods damned toaster's plan all along-"
Helo: "Don't call her that."
Chief: "-sucker some...moron into giving her a kid. Hey, but you know what? I should probably be grateful to you. Probably be grateful. You know why? 'Cause that freak in her belly could have been mine."

The card game was also a good scene(they always are) and helped set the tone of the episode as well as Helo's mood going into his scene with Chief.

I loved the plot involving the whole crew working on the Blackbird, seeing them come back from the edge of depression, exhaustion, and anger was an uplifting moment. And I couldn't believe my ears during the scene with Chief and Tigh in the tool room when Tigh offered Chief the engines he needed, that's gotta be like the first nice thing he's ever done. And even if they did take a little jam out of my donut by christening the Blackbird Laura, I still really enjoyed the scene. And Roslin was pretty good in this episode, the scene where she returned Adama's book got to me and I couldn't help but feel for her character. Though I do get the feeling that her one month life expectancy will somehow get extended.

On the negative side, I wasn't crazy about the Cylon virus plot. I mean, it was okay up until Sharon's scenes in the CIC, but that's where I lost interest. It's just, they reiterate again and again that she's(and all Cylons like her) as human as can be, and yet then they have her hot wire herself directly into a computer system? It was a little too sci-fi for me, if you know what I mean. Not saying it was bad sci-fi, just not to my liking. Plus the drama seemed a little hokey, with Adama pulling a gun on her and Tigh yelling to shoot her, it was just too much in my opinion. That look Sharon gives Adama after he orders her back to her cell was damn good though.

Brilliant cold open and some okay scenes throughout the episode, but it did lose some points for the Sharon/virus thing.moreless
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Rich in texture and full of Hope

10

"Perfect"

By alucard469, Dec 01, 2010

While this episode cannot stand alone as a story within a story - it does give us more insight and character development of people we want to see more of.

Chief has always been my favorite character - to see this big lug of a man work out his anger, fear, and frustration is something nice to behold. Here is a man that loved a toaster, was left betrayed by all she said to him, and through it all, must prove to everyone around him that he is still the same great human being that they have always known and respected. With the creation of "LAURA" you see that he is a man that can handle his past mistakes and make somethiing useful from his lessons. Bravo to Aaron Douglas for his wonderful portryal of this multi-leveled character.

Now as for Halo - he must go a step further and prove himself to everyone tenfold since he is the father of the Cyclon/Human hybrid. Only he knows that the baby is alive, they seem to have not shown the baby or Boomer still being pregnant for some reason!

Tigh is still an arrogant space idiot who needs to be retired soon - him and his hosebag of a wife.

Adama - sternfaced as ever must use the enemy of his enemy to stop his enemy - well-played on his part...but one shot to her leg would have been nice...just a little payback for some of his pain!

Madame President - dying, even moreso than led to believe - and I truely don't want her to leave the show - she is such a wonderful actress - I adore her turning the pages and shaking while reading her own medical report - her face is unshaken, but her hands tell a different tale.

overall - this series and the writing, just keeps getting better and better - can't wait for the season end when the "PEGASUS" shows up - it's going to be a bumpy ride when someone with more authority than Adama takes charge - and it's a woman (bout time!)moreless
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This show has incredbile actors and writers.

10

"Perfect"

By Fafhrd68, Dec 01, 2010

We all watch TV and while some of it is good and others are bad we all search for a story we can really get lost in.

The story line that is playing out is a great story of humanity and hope. We see it in few shows. We have all the angels shows that breed religion, but never one that would go outside the boundaries of the typical drama.

This show takes drama and hope to a new level. Sci-fi has always been about hope. Hope for a new race, hope for the future, hope that mankind will grow and survive. Finally a shows has come to TV that expresses itself in such a manner that it hits all the right buttons.

This episode was a crucial one for the season. I would go so far to say it was a defining moment in several characters of the show. Of course my favorite plot lines have been the Helios, Boomer and Chief. Along with Amdama's struggle to allow Sharon back into his life.

Every show about hope brings in the element of a new eapon or tool for the underdogs to use against the overwhelming enemy. While some may say it was the Phoenix, I saw it was the character coming together and showing unification.

Many Kudo to this episode!moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (5)
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- Though she is listed in the opening credits, Tricia Helfer does not appear in this episode.
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- Number of Survivors: 47,853
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- The Viper Tyrol has to scrap is numbered "289."
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- Tigh arranges for Tyrol to get some obsolete DDG-62 engines stored on the Baal Pakal.
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- Tyrol's fighter is called The Blackbird and is christened "Laura" for President Roslin. It is the first new fighter fabricated in the fleet.
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QUOTES (4)
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- Roslin: None of this would have been possible if you hadn't trusted the Cylon. Adama: I took your advice. Met on common ground. Roslin: What was that? Adama: We both wanted to live.
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- Helo: Do you still love him? Sharon: Helo. You're the father of my child. You're the first in my heart. Nothing is ever going to change that.
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- Tigh: What the hell is his problem? Adama: Months on the run and what do we have to show for it? Casualties. Deteriorating conditions. Tigh: This crew needs a rest. Adama: It's finally hitting them, Saul. Our old lives are gone.
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- Pilot: How can anyone fall in love with a toaster, though? Starbuck: Same way I hear everyone was high-fiving our Sharon right before she put two in Adama's chest. The bastards frak with your head.
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NOTES (1)
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- The name of the DDG-62 engines used in the Blackbird were a reference to the real-life U.S. Navy destroyer, the U.S.S. Fitzgerald, DDG-62. Staff writer Bradley Thompson and science advisor Dr. Kevin Grazier toured the Fitzgerald as part of a "Friends and Family Day." The DDG-62 reference in this episode was a subtle way of thanking the captain and the crew of the Fitzgerald for their hospitality.
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- Apollo says the Blackbird will have CG (center of gravity) problems because the cockpit is too far back. Starbuck answers that it's built for speed, not maneuverability. The real-life SR-71 Blackbird also was built for speed, capable of flying at nearly 2,200 mph. The focus on speed caused problems for the SR-71 as well. The fuselage panels were "loose" to allow for expansion of the airframe at high speeds. This caused the SR-71 to leak fuel onto the runway. The necessary "warm-up" for the airframe expansion is similar to the adjustment period needed by Starbuck to control Galactica's Blackbird, problems caused by the design focus on speed.
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- The stealth Viper is named Blackbird - the same as the SR-71, considered the first stealth aircraft.
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