The Hand of God (1978 Battlestar Galactica)

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“The Hand of God”

Battlestar Galactica (1978) episode

Episode no.

Season 1
Episode 24

Written by

Donald Bellisario

Directed by

Donald Bellisario

Original airdate

April 29, 1979

Episode chronology
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"Take the Celestra"	"Galactica Discovers Earth"

List of Episodes

The Hand of God is an episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series. This was the last episode of the original Battlestar Galactica TV series. The next episode is the first episode of the follow-up series, Galactica 1980.

1 Summary
2 Expanded overview
3 Actors
4 Re-Imagining
5 External link

[edit] Summary

Receiving a mysterious radio signal possibly from Earth, Commander Adama and the crew are wary of a Cylon trap, and decide to turn the tables by attacking the Cylons with a stolen Cylon Raider.

[edit] Expanded overview

On a night out in the Galactica, Apollo leads his friends to a forgotten observatory where they receive the mysterious transmissions. After discovering how close the Cylons are to the fleet, Adama decides the Galactica has the element of surprise on their side, and they plan an attack. Baltar provides essential information about the internal arrangement and configuration of a Cylon Basestar to enable them to narrow the odds of failure in order for their high risk mission to be a success. Baltar's price for his knowledge is his freedom - if the attack succeeds he will be marooned on some habitable planet with sufficient equipment and supplies to survive on his own.

Armed with Baltar's advice, Apollo and Starbuck successfully board the Basestar and set high detonation charges in the most carefully guarded and delicate location to paralyze and cripple its defenses. Boomer leads the Colonial Viper squadron on a risky attack of the Cylon Basestar. In the last scene of the series finale, Apollo and Starbuck narrowly miss receiving Apollo 11 moon landing transmissions from Earth.

[edit] Actors

Dirk Benedict - Lieutenant Starbuck
Terry Carter - Colonel Tigh
John Colicos - Count Baltar
Lorne Greene - Commander Adama
Richard Hatch - Captain Apollo
Herb Jefferson, Jr. - Lieutenant Boomer
Maren Jensen - Lieutenant Athena
Anne Lockhart (actor) - Lieutenant Sheba
Laurette Spang - Cassiopeia
Tony Swartz - Sergeant Jolly

[edit] Re-Imagining

This is only episode of the original series to have the same title as its re-imagined counterpart in the new Battlestar Galactica. The plots of the two episodes are relatively similar. The two biggest differences in the remake are: the Galactica attacks a Cylon Asteroid base as opposed to a Base Ship and the absence of Starbuck and Apollo's sabotage mission. The episode title also has a different meaning.