'Battlestar Galactica' Retro Recap: 'The Road Less Traveled'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​The last time we sat down to discuss the wonder of Battlestar Galactica, I pondered as to whether or not the next episode in this magnificent saga, ‘The Road Less Traveled’, was going to be the all-important tale that finally started to bring together all the incredible plot threads that season four has introduced. Because it’s clear that this final season is going to pack in as much as possible, and my wonder came about simply because there was a chance that this tale would instead continue to grow and build what the story has already introduced. So, imagine my surprise when I settled in to watch this one, only to quickly discover that in fact, this episode was indeed dedicated to weaving together some of season four’s epic storylines.
 
Much of that was accomplished by way of the mission that Starbuck is currently running in the void of space. Since her tired and exhausted crew was surprised by the fact that a badly damaged Heavy Raider jumped into their airspace and aboard that ship was a Leoben model, who…surprisingly offered up the possibility of a truce between the Cylons and mankind and while the crew was having none of his ramblings, Starbuck of course felt the need to listen because something in her gut told her that these two were going to cross paths once again, and well, Leoben definitely had some interesting things to say when all is said and done.
 
Because he spoke to Kara about how she needed to fulfill her destiny and that the Hybrid back on his ship spoke of her and of Earth and the only way to get there was to help his ailing Basestar because it was in rough shape thanks to the Cylon Civil War and of course, Kara was all about setting a course for that ship since it was her best lead at the moment to find the elusive Earth. Of course, the crew was having none of this, in fact they were quick to see Starbuck as someone who was outright falling apart and potentially leading them into a trap, leading to mutiny aboard the Demetrius. Which is frustrating to say the least, because the audience knows that Leoben is telling the truth, at least about the war and hey, why not take a chance if your enemy is waving a white flag.
 
Yet while this was fascinating and tense in its own right, the show balanced it out nicely with a fascinating subplot involving Baltar and Tyrol, wherein, we saw a different side of Gaius for a change. And what brought about a transformed Gaius, was Tyrol taking the time to check out Baltar’s little gospel service, because that led to an ugly confrontation between the two men, wherein Baltar pushed the wrong buttons, to the point where Galen attacked Gaius and later contemplated suicide, but he stepped back from the edge for the sake of his son and that’s when this reformed Gaius magically appeared. Because Baltar stopped by Galen’s quarters to genuinely apologize and offer condolences and in essence make peace with Tyrol and this was extraordinary because it’s one of the few times in the history of the series we’ve seen Gaius be kind and selfless.
 
But, when all is said and done, worlds are finally colliding since the Civil War is now out in the open and it may help lead the Fleet to Earth, if Kara’s crew will stand down and take a chance and honestly, I love the fact that this one took the time to blend everything together in subtle and seamless fashion and that it ended on a cliffhanger, simply because it speaks to the fact that this wonderful meshing of the storylines is nowhere near complete. But all of that aside, I really enjoyed this episode, a lot in fact. The acting in this one was simply sublime, and kudos are due for both Katee Sackhoff and Aaron Douglas for selling the storylines in this one and now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to start the next episode, because waiting to finish this cliffhanger would just be silly. Until next time.

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