The Hand of God

Now the President is suffering hallucinations due to drugs for her cancer. I guess in a way this puts her in the same boat as Baltar. And her "visions" are now being seen as divine revelation! This is similar to some American Indian religion, where drugs play a part in vision quests. Does that lessen the truth of the vision? Is it any less divinely given if we know the method is chemical? After all, man has been interpreting dreams for millennia, and the presence of a "fever dream" doesn't necessarily lessen the portent of perceived omens. Maybe I shouldn't have watch The Matrix Reloaded last night; I'm starting to talk like Morpheus.

But wait, the Cylons are interpreting the scriptures to mean Baltar is the instrument of God. So who is right? Well, I guess whoever ends up leading them to Earth. As our scriptures say (I'm paraphrasing), you'll know it's from God if it comes true.

This is the first episode to share a title with the old series. Of course, that episode was completely different. The title also references the first line of the last episode, when Baltar noted he saw no hand of God in Six's eyes. 

We get a name for the fuel they use. And isn't this story's basic plot (a planet rich with fuel, but with a Cylon base that needs to be taken out) similar to one or two episodes of the original? I like when they are able to reuse the elements of Larson's show that worked. If it ain't broke, don't fix it I say.

Helo asks why there are no other humans on Cylon-occupied Caprica. Yes, where is everyone? Certainly they wouldn't have all made it off. Where are the survivors like Helo? Where are the remains of the dead? And why oh why is it over a month before he asks this question?

The nitpicker in me wants to know when the Vipers were hidden in the freighter without anyone knowing. Also, there came a point where the Vipers were given the go-ahead from the CIC, and only that's when they got the order for the pilots to get to their planes. ...Um, if this is a super important mission where time is of the essence, wouldn't if have made more sense to START with the pilots in the Vipers? Then they could just rush right out!

I worry a little about Baltar. On the one hand, I'm encouraged by television that tells you to embrace the plan that the One God has for you; on the other hand, I totally do not trust the Cylons, nor their god. So, now that Baltar has apparently embraced his role as "instrument of God", I wonder what will become of him.

I really love the music that ends this episode. It is fantastic, and the best I've heard on the series. If there's a soundtrack, and it has this on it, I would consider buying it.