Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009): Season 3, Episode 17 - Maelstrom - full transcript

Previously on
Battlestar Galactica.

Leoben is a very clever Cylon.
He's gonna try to get into your head.

We haven't been
properly introduced.

I'm Leoben.

I want the Cylon interrogated.

Do it.

This has happened before.

And all of it
will happen again.

Your destiny has already
been written.

I saw your x-rays.

A lot of old fractures
from childhood.



Children of abusive parents

often fear passing along that
abuse to their own children.

Get out!

I'm trying to help you, Kara.

I only want you to
see the truth of your life.

The reason why you suffered. The
reason why you struggled for so long.

What if there's something to what Leoben
said about you and a special destiny?

Kara Thrace
and her special destiny?

That sounds more like
a bad cover band, Sam.

I think the nova does look
like the mandala inside this temple.

Maybe it was a road sign.

Showing the direction
that they headed to next.

I'm curious about something.

Those paintings you did, from
your apartment on Caprica.



This was on the Temple.

Where did you get the idea
to paint yours?

That's just something I've been doodling
since I was a kid. I like the pattern.

Well, they built
the Temple 4,000 years ago.

What is it?

Just something
Leoben said once.

That I had a destiny.

That it had already
been written.

What's up?

Nothing. Go back to sleep.

You're up early.

You, too.

Yeah.

Hera gets these nightmares.

Wakes up crying and shaking.

By the time we calm her down and get
her back to sleep, I'm wide awake.

All that crap she went through on New
Caprica really left its mark on her.

Yeah, I know just
how she feels.

Wish you never would've showed me the
picture of that frakking mandala.

I dream about it
and that bastard Leoben

every gods-damned night.

I feel like
I'm losing my mind here.

You know, Kara, there's a
psychiatrist aboard lnchon Velle.

We've made an appointment for Hera. Maybe
you should think about seeing her.

You kidding me?

Most shrinks are more frakked
up than their patients are.

You know, you might want to check out
that oracle camped in Dogsville.

People say
she interprets dreams.

Sees things in them.
Predicts events.

Hey.

You Okay?

I don't know.

Hello?

The goddess Aurora.

Take it. It's yours.

What the hell
am I going to do with this?

You'll know
when the time comes.

Sit.

I... I can't sleep.

Having these nightmares.

About the Cylon.

The one who held you captive
on New Caprica,

Leoben.

I know that he was just...

He knows you better
than you know yourself,

Kara Thrace.

He sees the truth about you.

About your destiny.

You don't...

Enough of that.

The only destiny I have
is as a world-class frak-up.

Who hurts everyone
she cares about.

That was your mother's
gift to you, wasn't it?

You were born to a woman who believed
suffering was good for the soul,

so you suffered.

Your life is
a testament to pain.

You want to believe it because

it means that you're bad luck.
...lt means that you're bad luck.

You're like a cancer
You're like a cancer

that needs to be removed.
That needs to be removed.

Because you hear her voice every day.
Because you hear her voice every day.

And you want her to be right.
And you want her to be right.

Somebody told you
what Leoben said to me.

Did you ever tell anyone
about that?

You learned the wrong lesson
from your mother, Kara.

You confused the messenger
with the message.

Your mother was trying
to teach you something else.

You don't know crap
about my mother.

Leoben does.

He sees the patterns.

Sees how it all fits together.
Shut up.

He's coming for you.

Soon.

Shut the frak up.

You can't stop him.

And he will show you the way.

I'm on a shuttle
in a half an hour.

Ask for your leave
and come with me.

You could use the downtime.

It sounds tempting.

So do it.

No strings, okay? We don't even have
to talk about our relationship.

I'll think about it.

Which means, "No."

You know, I hate to say this.

But that whack-job oracle,
she's got a point.

Your mother frakked up your head
long before Leoben ever got to you.

She was dealing
with a lot, Sam.

She told me that I was
different from other kids.

That I needed to be
a warrior, like her.

Taught me that
fear gets you killed,

and anger keeps you alive.

Well, she gave you plenty
to be angry about, didn't she?

Split your head open
with a broomstick handle

because you didn't
make your bed?

I ever tell you
how I got back at her?

No.

During the first Cylon war,

she was stationed with
the first marines on Mehidra.

Stinking jungles
you wouldn't believe.

Had this phobia of insects
for the rest of her life.

Hated the damn things.

So I go out and I buy
a bunch of rubber bugs

and I slip into her closet

and I put them
all over her shoes.

And?

She screamed
her frakking head off.

I go in

and she's trying to
smash them with her shoes

but that's just making them
bounce around even more.

You must have
caught hell for that.

She grabbed my hand, held it in the
doorjamb and slammed the door.

Frak me.

It was worth it, though.

Captain, it's Galactica. We've
had a couple of valve failures.

We're re-starting the unrep.

That's just great.

Hotdog, settle in. We're gonna be
out here for another three hours.

Hotdog, what the hell
are you doing?

Enjoying blue skies again.

About the only thing I miss
about New Caprica.

Galactica, it's Starbuck.
Showtime.

Bogey. My right one, in the soup at 45.
Committing.

Starbuck, Hotdog.
No joy. Press.

Abort the un-rep. Unhook those
fuel lines immediately.

Refueling ships, Galactica.

Immediate. Cease all
underway replenishment ops.

Sir, we've got both
Starbuck and Hotdog on dradis

but no contact on the bogey.

We're lucky
we can see anything.

That planet's
synchrotron radiation

has been kicking the crap out
of every dradis in the fleet

since we got here.

Price you pay for a good place
to hide and refuel the fleet.

Looks like it's also a good place
for hiding a Cylon Raider.

Starbuck, Apollo.
What have you got?

Apollo, we've got one turkey playing
hide and seek in the clouds.

No sparrows.
Engaging offensive.

One heavy Raider.
No fighter escort.

Still no bandits on dradis.

If that bastard jumps, the Cylons
could be all over us in minutes.

Alert the fleet to stand by
for an emergency jump.

Starbuck, Hotdog. No visual on
your Raider and I'm losing you!

Damn it, Starbuck. Blind! I say
again, I lost you in the clouds!

Starbuck, we have no
dradis contact on your bogey.

Do you have visual?

Affirmative. He's hiding in the clouds.
He just ducked into the storm system.

Do you see? Do you see him?

Galactica, Starbuck.
Tally. Weapons hot.

Galactica, Starbuck.
Took a hit. Still flying.

Starbuck, are you nominal?

Got me under the chin.
Everything's green.

Where the hell is that Raider?

Sir, Starbuck's dropping close
to the planetary hard deck.

If she stays on course,
the atmospheric density

will keep her from
reaching orbit again.

And then the pressure will crush
her like a cheap soda can.

Starbuck, you're getting too low.
Break off and climb.

I repeat. Starbuck, you're getting too low.
Break off and climb.

Starbuck.

Starbuck, pull out before you don't
have the smash to regain orbit.

Kara, come in.

Where the hell is she going?

Starbuck?

Get out of there.

Starbuck, come in. Do you read?

Starbuck, you're getting too low.
Break off and climb.

Get up.

Hotdog, do you have
a visual on Starbuck?

Starbuck, come in! Do you read?
Starbuck! Pull up!

That is an order. Pull out!

Apollo, Starbuck. Wilco.

Come on!

Where'd I take the hits, Chief?

Looks like nowhere, Captain.

What? I felt the impact!

Damn Viper felt
like it hit a brick wall.

Well, we'll keep checking.
But so far, not a scratch.

Gods damn it, it has to be there.
Run it again.

We've watched it twice already.

Then this isn't
my gun camera film.

No one else
pulled a trigger all day.

We checked Galactica's dradis records
against the ones in our Raptor.

There was no paint
on your Cylon at all.

And we all know that dradis can
be wonky near this planet, Karl.

Maybe the Raider jumped away
before you opened fire.

Or maybe it never existed
to begin with.

It was there.

Gonna ground her?

Cottle says she's physically fit,
but an emotional basket case.

In peacetime,
he'd ground us all.

So it falls back on you.

Yeah.

Even screwed up, she's still the
best Viper driver I've got.

Sometimes it's hard to admit
that the best of us

can burn out.

Do you think she has?

I don't know.

I think her identity
as a steely-eyed Viper jock

is the only thing
holding her together.

So, then, if I ground her...

Everyone gets rattled
sometimes.

But the bottom line is,

when the bullets start to fly,

can she handle it?

So, where do you want to go
when you bite the big one?

I want to go right there,
next to Kat.

A water-walking Viper jock.

A royal pain in the ass, but a hell
of a stick to have on your wing.

You can put me right here.

Next to Duck and Nora.

Good card players.

Nice way to spend eternity.

Okay. So whoever croaks first,
the other one makes sure

that their picture
goes in the right place. Deal?

Deal.

So, what did the old man have
to say about my combat report?

Starbuck's finally
gone off the deep end.

Unfit for duty?

He said I'm the CAG.
It's my call.

Ah.

And what do you say?

Well, I say I'd trust your eyes
over dradis any day of the week.

Something could have been there
and vanished in the cloud cover.

So, you don't think I'm nuts?

I didn't say that.
You're a raving lunatic.

As demented and deranged
as the first day I met you.

And you're a bastard.

Look,

stress has made us all twitchy.

After what that Cylon put
you through on New Caprica,

you've had more than
your share.

Get some rest

or you will start
seeing things.

Yeah.

That leaves six civvies
in line to refuel.

So, another 10 hours
and we're done.

Yeah.

Starbuck?

What do you hear?

Nothing but the rain.

Then grab your gun
and bring in the cat.

Wilco, Admiral.

Madam President.

Captain.

How is it out there?

Hell of a view.

We're almost
to the finish line.

Then we can jump
the hell out of this system.

So say we all.

Um...

Actually... Sorry, Boss.

I have something for you.

I thought that it would be a nice
figurehead for your model ship.

Aurora.

Goddess of the dawn. Yeah.

She brings the morning star
and a fair wind.

A fresh start.

Thank you.

Good hunting.

Thank you.

Harness assembly?

Lap and shoulder
retaining pins installed.

Retraction reel correct.

Disconnect block locking indicator.
Yellow flag visible.

You all right, Captain?

Uh...

Give me a minute here, Chief.

Did we not talk about it?

Do it! Come on, do, it!
Stop it!

Major.

She's just sitting there.

Well, did you talk to her?

You talk to her.

Feeling sorry for me?

Kara, everyone gets rattled.

Even the best.

I'm not going back out there.

I don't trust myself.

Hmm.

So trust me.

I'll fly your wing.

The CAG flying my number two?

Whatever it takes.

How are things
with you and Dee?

Uh...

You know. Good.

No.

Better than good.

Best they've ever been.

I'm happy for you.

Really.

It's funny though,
after all we've been through

we are right back
where we started.

You're CAG and I am
your hotshot problem pilot.

I guess that's all
we'll ever be now, huh?

Starbuck, Apollo. How we doing?

Copacetic.

Another 30 minutes
and we head back to the barn.

Damn it. Apollo!
One turkey, my right, three,

level at 10, ducking in
and out of the clouds.

Engaging-

Starbuck, Apollo. No joy.

Starbuck, Galactica.

No dradis contact
on your Cylon.

Apollo, Starbuck.

Weapons hot. Committing.

This time I'm gonna drag him back and
dump his sorry ass on the hangar deck.

Set the fleet at condition one.
Uncouple the hoses!

Starbuck, Apollo.
I've lost you on dradis.

I'm blind!

Starbuck, Apollo. I repeat. I've
got no sign of you or the Raider.

Starbuck! Report!

Starbuck, report!

This is Apollo. Do you read me?

Starbuck! Report!

Starbuck!

Starbuck,
I have zero visibility.

Starbuck, are you out there?

Kara!

Good morning, Delphi.

Got another hot one in store for you today.
Time to head for the beach.

Weatherman says we can...

Rise and shine.

We have a big day ahead of us.

Come on.

I'm not here.

I'm out cold.

Or on a Cylon ship and you drag me
to play your frakking mind games.

No games, Kara.

That's not your destiny.

I write my own destiny.

I didn't paint
that symbol, Kara.

You did.

You saw it again.

In the clouds.

Didn't you?

But you didn't tell
anyone else.

Because you're drawn to it.

You feel its pull.

You want to fly into it.
You want to cross over.

But you're afraid.

Afraid of what?
A frakking cloud?

Of the unknown.

Death.

All your high-wire stunts
have been an act.

Time after time,

you skip to the edge of the
abyss, then dance away again.

But you've never really
conquered your fear.

You've been afraid.

Ever since that day.

What day?

All of this has happened before

and will happen again.

It's open.

Hello, Mama.

It's hard to believe
it's only six years ago.

You look so much younger.

I was.

So, you really did it.

First person in the family
to become an officer.

What is the world coming to?

Kara, they tell me that you're the
best natural pilot they've ever seen.

First time I got
in that cockpit, I just

felt like I belonged.

All that natural ability,

and still, you only graduated
sixteenth in your class.

Sixteenth out of
117 cadets, Mama.

Why are you proud of that?

You should have been
number one.

They tell me that you have left a trail
of demerits from here to Aerilon.

You're undisciplined, you have
no respect for authority...

It's none of
your business, anymore.

You have a gift, Kara.

I've always known that, here, in my gut and
I am not going to let you piss that away.

You're special.
Don't you understand that?

No, I'm not!

Would you let go of that
stupid dream of yours?

Look, I am sorry as hell
that you never made officer

and all you have to show
for a life of dedication

is this crappy apartment and
that frakking medal on the wall.

But I will not
make up for it all.

I can't.

Yeah, because you're a quitter.

You always have been.

You went to an oncologist?

Hey! Put that down!
Don't touch that!

What are you going to
do about this?

Nothing.

There's nothing to do.
It's metastasized.

Game is over.

I'm sorry, Mama.

I don't want your pity.

You haven't got it.

You want to feel sorry
for someone?

Feel sorry for yourself.

You're gonna have to find another
way to motivate your ass.

I'm not gonna be around
to do it any longer.

Oh, don't tell me
you're gonna cry about it now.

You know what? I don't need this.
I'm gonna...

I'm gonna walk out that door

and you can look at it every
frakking miserable day you have left

and know that I am never gonna
come back through it again.

Kara!

Kara!

You kept running, didn't you?

For blocks.

She waited here

for five weeks,
hoping you'd come back.

She died alone.

I was afraid I couldn't watch.

It's not too late.

She's waiting still.

Mama.

You came back.

I can't believe
you kept all this.

Everything.

Always.

Mama.

Something's about to happen.

You know that thing that you
were trying to prepare me for?

I don't know if I can do it.

Oh, yes, you can. You can.

How can you be sure?

You're my daughter.

See? There's nothing
so terrible about death.

When you finally face it,
it's beautiful.

You're free now.

To become who you really are.

You're not Leoben.

Never said I was.

I'm here to prepare you
to pass through the next door.

To discover what hovers in the
space between life and death.

Starbuck, Apollo.
I lost you on dradis.

I say again,

I've lost you.

Squawk ident. I'll try
to get a fix on you.

Kara!

Lee.

I'm not afraid anymore.

Say again?

I'm not afraid anymore.

She should be afraid.

She's damn close
to the hard deck.

Apollo's not far behind. The
pressure will crush them both.

Come on, Lee.
Get her out of there.

Ninety seconds to hard deck.

All right, Kara. Listen to me.

Forget the damn toaster.

Climb now or you're dead.

We can still pull out of this. We
haven't gone past the point of no return.

Kara!

Sixty seconds to hard deck.

Dee, vector red section
to Apollo's last known.

Set alert Vipers to ready one.

Hotdog, Hex, divert to 715.

Gods, Starbuck, where are you?

Visual. Visual. Okay.

Kara, I'm coming to get you.

Lee.

I'll see you on the other side.

Kara, please.
Listen to me. Come back.

Just let me go.

Gods damn it, Kara.

You come back! Come back!

It's okay.

Just let me go.

They're waiting for me.

No!

No!

Among;

Get out of there! Abort!

Abort!

Lee, do you have her in sight?
Can you see her?

Negative.

She...

She went in.

She went in.

We're sending in the search
and rescue birds right now.

We'll find her.

No, Dad. It's no use.

Her ship's in pieces.

Her ship's in pieces.

Her ship

is lost.