Season 3, Episode 19:
Crossroads, Part I
Roslin is having a dream in her quarters aboard Colonial One. She dreams that she is in the Opera House looking for Hera, along with a displeased Sharon, and they discover a copy of Six holding her. Roslin wakes up with a start and realizes that her visions have returned.
In the fleet, the final preparations are being made for Baltar's trial. In addition, they are just a few jumps away from reaching the Ionian nebula. Tory goes to the prosecuting attorney for the trial and attempts to tell her about Roslin's memory of seeing Baltar with Caprica-Six before the attacks, but is rebuffed and told that he's only being tried for charges they can prove.
Baltar is visited in the brig by a member of the press corps, who gives him a picture of her son and begs her to help him. He comments to HeadSix afterwards that various people have written him letters and are looking to him for support.
The trial officially begins. The prosecuting attorney, Cassidy, gives an opening statement claiming that the ultimate price must be paid for Baltar's treachery. In response, Lampkin asks to change his client's plea to guilty, and uses the crowd to bolster his point that Baltar's trial is a witch hunt. He claims that Roslin is using the trial as a pretense to blame Baltar for her own misplaced actions, and that Baltar saved lives by surrendering to the Cylons when they invaded New Caprica.
Elsewhere, Racetrack and Skulls are running reconnaissance near a moon to ensure the Cylons aren't tracking them when a fleet of Basestars jumps in. The Raptor barely manages to escape before being hit with a missile strike, and Racetrack reports the incident to Bill, who suggests running a scan for anything that could be used by the Cylons to track them.
Roslin has become irritable, snapping at Tory and drinking from a suspicious mug in the CIC. Lee discovers the cup and smells something unexpected in it.
Tigh goes to speak with Caprica-Six about the pursuing Cylon fleet. She reveals that the Cylons are likely tracking the fleet's refinery ship, but after some prompting from HeadBaltar, refuses to cooperate further. Tigh hits her when she brings up Ellen's death, and she strikes him back, prompting him to leave.
Tigh is then called up, and is noticeably drunk during his questioning. He also begins hearing odd music while Lampkin questions him about Ellen's involvement in the resistance, and reveals that he would do anything to have Baltar killed. At the same time, Anders and Tory begin to hear the same odd music while sitting in Joe's Bar and look at each other in response.
Lampkin calls on Lee to get more involved during a break in the trial. He asks the Major to give more insight about Roslin and her decision-making process, and compels him to act by forcing him into a difficult choice: try to make his father hate him, or aid the trial because of his sense of justice.
Lee goes to his father and they argue over the former helping Lampkin. Lee tells Bill that he doesn't know anything about it, but is called a coward in response. Bill then says that Baltar is a traitor, and that Lee didn't have the guts to reveal that he told Lampkin about Tigh's alcoholism.
In response, Lee resigns from military duty and tells his father that he will see the case through. Bill calls him a man who has no integrity in response.
When the trial resumes, Lee questions Roslin himself. He ends up pushing her to reveal that she is taking chamalla again, against Bill's attempts to stop him. He eventually forces her to reveal that her cancer has returned.
During the next break, Dualla packs her bags and leaves their apartment, leaving a heartbroken Lee in her wake.
Roslin holds a press conference to dissuade rumors and speculation, but Tory causes a scene and lashes out against the reporters. Afterwards, Roslin tells her to pull it together.
In the CIC, Helo arrives and speaks with Gaeta about the journey to the nebula, and the latter informs him that they're only three jumps away. Helo notes that there is a figurative storm coming, while Tigh, Anders and Tory continue to hear the same odd music...
Tropes:
- The Alcoholic: Tigh, who begins drinking again just before being questioned on the stand.
- Armor-Piercing Question:
- Lampkin, when he asks Tigh if his wife was a Cylon collaborator.
- Lee, when he asks Roslin if she has been taking chamalla again.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Bill's speech to the pilots about being ready for the unknowable and improbable (at the end of "Dirty Hands") is proven correct when Racetrack and Skulls' Raptor is nearly destroyed when they're ambushed by the trailing Cylon fleet.
- Lee uses the information he found out from Roslin's mug to make her reveal that her cancer has returned, which sours the prosecution's case.
- The Chessmaster: Lampkin, who erodes the prosecutor's testimony by using mob mentality and appealing to Lee's sense of justice.
- The Chosen One: Baltar is seen as this by an increasing number of civilians in the fleet.
- Continuity Nod: George Bell (Biers' cameraman from "Final Cut") can be seen filming Baltar from behind during the trial.
- Courtroom Episode
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Roslin's dream in the opening sequence.
- Foreshadowing: Anders is seen wearing a pilot's uniform while hanging out with Seelix and Hot Dog, suggesting he joined the pilot training program.
- Humiliation Conga: For Roslin. Her attempts to sway the trial all blow up in her face - Caprica-Six refuses to testify, she gets called out on the stand for taking chamalla and is forced to admit that her cancer has returned, and her aide embarasses her during a press conference.
- Liar Revealed: Bill calls out his son for not telling him that he revealed Tigh's drunkenness and information about Ellen to Lampkin.
- Media Scrum: The press conference during the break in the trial.
- Messy Hair: Discussed. Tory neglects her grooming habits, resulting in Roslin chewing her out (in response to her outburst against the press) for not "being able to comb her hair straight" once a week.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Lee, which results in his father all but disowning him, Roslin hating him and Dualla leaving him in disgust.
- Special Edition Title: There are no standard opening credits, likely to pack in as much plot as possible.
- A Storm Is Coming: Said by Helo verbatim at the end of the episode.
- Torches and Pitchforks: Lampkin uses the crowd's mob mentality (in a bit of reverse psychology) to show how the trial is a witch hunt.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Practically everyone calls out Lee for helping Lampkin during the trial, including Bill (for revealing private information about Tigh and his wife), Roslin (for forcing her to reveal her cancer has returned) and Dualla (for his actions against Roslin).
- Witch Hunt: Referenced (and deliberately utilized) by Lampkin during his opening statements, as a way to show how mob mentality has distorted the process.
