'Battlestar Galactica' Retro Recap: 'The Eye of Jupiter'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​The last time we left the crew of the intrepid Battlestar Galactica, the ship and the fleet were in dire straits. The food supply for the last surviving members of mankind was tainted, and it took incredible sacrifice and bravery to find a new food source and save everyone in the process. Which means that the next episode following such a harrowing one should mean that the story is going to give both the characters and the audience a breather, right? Yeah…not when it comes to this series.
 
Because ‘The Eye of Jupiter’ turned out to be just as tense an episode as its predecessor as the chief stumbled upon quite the find; an ancient temple that was clearly a product of the Thirteenth Tribe and according to the all-important scriptures, this place, and the item it holds that shares the namesake of this episode, would help the fleet find a solid path to Earth. However, the complication therein is that the Cylons, who appear in orbit around this planet as well, are also hoping to find the Eye and use it as a guide to Earth, and that’s when the tension went to the next level in this story.
 
In part because…having both sides in the same place made for an immediate standoff, one where the Admiral was more than happy to let the Cylons know that any attempt to go near the Eye and the Temple would result in the use of nuclear weapons on humanity’s part and also because…there were some rough revelations that came about story wise. For example, Boomer let Sharon know that her daughter was alive, prompting some tough moments as that fact finally came to light, but while it was unpleasant to see that kind of heartbreak come to fruition, the real ugly moments happened on the planet below.
 
Now what made this episode so incredibly interesting, was the sheer fact that there was a real sense of value when it came to life and that’s something that’s a tad jarring on this series because people have died often on this show. So, to see Anders and Lee worry about Kara shortly after her Raptor came under fire speaks to the fact that these people are starting to truly struggle with the losses and considering that Kat is still fresh in their minds and that the fleet is slowly dwindling, seeing their concern bubble over into anger completely makes sense and raises the stakes for the story. 
 
Of course, the tension present on the planet was nothing compared to what came about during the closing moments of the episode when the Cylons made their move in order to get D’Anna and Baltar on the ground, prompting Adama to arm and aim his nukes and well…that’s where this one left us, with a cliffhanger and lives in the balance and while this one was not filled to the brim with deeper meaning or commentary, who cares? This was simply an outstanding episode that kept me on the edge of my seat and with that in mind…I do think it’s high time to hit play on the ol’ Blu Ray player and see how this mess wraps up. Until next time.

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