Season 1, Episode 11:
Colonial Day
Onboard the Cloud Nine luxury liner, various politicians are gathering to celebrate Colonial Day, the annual celebration of the signing of the Articles of Colonization. Roslin has chosen to celebrate the holiday by electing a new Quorum of Twelve, who will oversee the legislative branch of the Colonial government.
As a group of reporters discusses Roslin's leadership over the last few months, Roslin paces nervously onboard Colonial One, while elsewhere, an unseen man loads a pistol and weapon case. As Roslin listens, the reporters announce that Tom Zarek has been appointed as the Sagittaron delegate.
Onboard Galactica, Baltar is working on his test samples when Kara comes in and informs him that he has been chosen to be the Caprican delegate for the Quorum. Baltar is confused and isn't very excited, but Head Six promises him that there are many benefits to being a delegate.
The next day, the Quorum nominees meet onboard the luxury liner Cloud Nine for their inaugural meeting. Baltar notices that one of the reporters has been eying him throughout the meeting, while Zarek causes a stir when he motions to elect one of the delegates as Vice President. When Roslin asks who will be step up for the nomination, the Virgon delegate endorses Zarek as Vice President. Roslin elects to leave the position open for 3 days before closing nominations.
Later, Roslin asks Gray to run for the Vice President position, while Zarek rails against Roslin and Adama for running the fleet in a glorified dictatorship.
Lee, listening to Zarek's interview in Cloud Nine's bar, turns it off and gets into an argument with a Sagittaron civilian. The fight escalates until the civilian and Lee begin fighting. In the confusion, the assassin, Valance, has his weapon case knocked onto the floor while sitting in the bar. Starbuck notices it and chases him, managing to stop him by pulling out her own weapon while Lee knocks out the civilian.
Meanwhile, on Caprica, Helo and Sharon have reached the outskirts of Delphi. He is still wondering how there can be two separate versions of the same woman, and realizes that the Cylons have created human models. Sharon tries to justify it by saying that the humanoid Cylons are being misled and can feel emotions like love, but he counters by saying they're just machines.
On Cloud Nine, Lee and Kara interrogate Valance, but he won't give up any information. During the next Quorum meeting, Lee indicates to Zarek that Valance was captured and that he's next. Afterwards, Ellen is sitting at the bar when Zarek offers to make her a drink. He discusses the pending results with her, and she mentions that she's interested in assuring her and her husband's future. Zarek responds by asking her where Valance is. Later that day, Lee and Kara react in shock when they see Valance, who had his wrists slit in the interrogation room.
Elsewhere, Baltar gives an interview where he defends Roslin's leadership qualities. Onboard Colonial One, Lee and Tigh try to figure out who killed Valance, while Roslin listens to Baltar's interview and realizes he can be a suitable leadership candidate. She informs Gray that he will have to step out of the race because of health reasons, and then goes to visit Baltar. She informs the doctor that she wants him to be Vice-President, and he agrees to be her running mate.
Later, the delegates vote between Baltar and Zarek. The resulting decision is a tie, with Roslin having to make the final vote. Roslin votes for Baltar, and he is sworn in as the new Vice-President. At the gala ceremony, the various couples dance, while Zarek indicates to Roslin that the Presidential election is still six months away and he'll see her then…
On Caprica, Helo and Sharon move into the Delphi base, watching from a ledge as one Six takes orders from another at the gate. They split up to secure the area and Helo takes an upper walkway, when he notices another copy of Sharon wearing a white jacket. The copy moves to shoot Helo as he stares in shock, only to be shot by Sharon. Helo realizes his Sharon is a Cylon as well, and runs away as she pleads for him to come back…
Tropes
- Bathroom Stall of Overheard Insults: Playa after Roslin informs Baltar about the Vice-President position.
- Character Shilling: Inverted with Zarek. Despite the fact that he legally gets the Sagittaron nomination for the Quorum and is suggested to be Vice-President, Roslin still doesn't trust him.
- Chewing the Scenery: Lee gets very… into interrogating Valence.
- The Complainer Is Always Wrong: Zarek's point about Roslin and Bill essentially leading by dictatorship is true, but his point is moot because he is a former terrorist who wants power only for himself.
- Disaster Democracy: The elections held on Colonial Day.
- Fictional Holiday: The eponymous Colonial Day, which commemorates the signing of the Articles of Colonization that established a united government for the Twelve Colonies.
- Foreshadowing: Having broken up, Tyrol and Boomer dance with Cally and Gaeta respectively. In Season 2, it will become explicit that Cally is in love with Tyrol and the two of them will eventually marry. And in the webisode series The Face of the Enemy, it'll be revealed that Gaeta had a relationship with another copy of Number Eight, Boomer's model. Although the latter is more like serendipitous foreshadowing, since Gaeta's Cylon ex-lover was originally going to be a Six until Tricia Helfer proved unavailable.
- Going Commando: Head Six points out to Baltar that Playa the reporter isn't wearing panties during the delegates' meeting.
- Internal Reveal:
- From the fact that he saw two identical blonde women accompanying the Centurions, and can think of no reason that human beings - who just happen to be twins - would help the Cylons, Helo pieces together that humanoid Cylons exist, and were used to set up the surprise attack on the Colonies through infiltration. This is borne out when he and Sharon see two more Sixes at Delphi.
- Then he discovers that Sharon is also a Cylon when another of her model appears and tries to shoot him, but is prevented by Sharon shooting her.
- Karma Houdini: The individual who killed Valance is never captured, or even identified to the audience.
- Lady Macbeth: Ellen curries favor with Zarek and his group in order to get more publicity for her husband and some fleet benefits.
- Media Scrum: The various reporters covering the elections and press conferences.
- Remember the New Guy?: Apparently, Wallace Gray is not only one of Roslin's senior-most advisors, but he has been regulating the Fleet's internal economy behind-the-scenes and is trusted enough by her to be retained as a vice-presidential candidate. He never appears again after this episode.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Subverted. Lee and Kara threaten to do this to Valance if he doesn't co-operate, but he doesn't break. They don't get the chance to do anything else before Valance is murdered.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Upon realizing that Sharon (the woman he's been romantically involved and on the run with for several days) is a Cylon, Helo immediately flees the heliport, despite her begging for him to come back.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Kara, during the ceremony when Baltar is sworn in.
- Shoot the Dog: Roslin forces Gray to drop out as her preferred VP candidate with a "for reasons of health" excuse, which they both know will be a humiliating blatant lie. Even worse as Gray didn't even want the job and ran at Roslin's insistence. Gray isn't pleased, ultimately saying to her face that Roslin has become just another backstabbing politician.
- Shout-Out:
- When Roslin is talking to Zarek after he gets the nomination.
Roslin: Don't smirk, Zarek. I won't kiss you.Zarek: It's a shame. I shaved very close in anticipation of getting smacked by you.- Playa's "leg-uncrossing" scene appears to be one to Basic Instinct.
- Trial Balloon Question: Sharon floats the idea that the human-form Cylons could be misguided and capable of emotions like love, but Helo shoots this down, unable to believe that they could be anything but Just a Machine if they can cross the Moral Event Horizon by wiping out entire planetary populations.
- Unusual Euphemism: Baltar, as he's leading Playa into the bathroom stall.Baltar: I'm going to give you an exclusive.
- You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: Head Six to Baltar, after telling him that he can have any woman he wants, but she could rip his heart out of his chest if she wanted to.
