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Greetings from Earth: Directed by Rod Holcomb. With Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene, Herbert Jefferson Jr.. Apollo and Starbuck come across a vessel they think may have come from Earth and take it aboard the Galactica.
- (437)
- Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
- Rod Holcomb
- 1979-02-25
- Overview
- Plot
- Cast
- External links
Greetings from Earth is an episode of the TV series, Battlestar Galactica. The episode was first aired 25 February 1979 as a TV movie, being twice the length of a normal episode. It also marked the first time humans from the Thirteenth Tribe were encountered, all other peoples encountered previously being from the Galactican civilisation of the Twe...
Act 1
"By the good graces of the lords of Kobol, the Galactica continues to lead her flock of survivors towards the coordinates, given us by those great white lights that vanished as mysteriously as they first appeared. There are those who speculate that those lights, advanced ships really, might have come from Earth, giving us great hope that they have a highly developed technology. Even now, our long range scouts patrol the quadrants, watching for signs that indicate that we are drawing close." —Adama The fleet continues on its journey to Earth, based on the directions given to them by the Seraphs. Cpt. Apollo and Lt. Starbuck are on a long-range patrol, long enough Starbuck has spent a period of it asleep. Waking up, he finds his Viper's sensors are detecting a vessel ahead, which scans reveal has sublight transport capabilities and is carrying six life-forms with low life-readings. Unable to communicate, with the crew who appear unwilling or unable to respond, the two Warriors tow the ship back to Galactica. Word quickly spreads across the ship about the recent discovery, forcing Cmdr. Adama to report to the entire fleet that they must cease speculating as to the origin of the vehicle, and announcing the ship will be quarantined to prevent the transfer of dangerous diseases between both parties. 's crew discuss whether or not the ship is booby-trapped. In the hangar deck, Adama meets with Apollo and Starbuck and a scientific team consisting of Dr. Wilker, Dr. Salik and Cassiopeia. Wilker reports that a Defusing Team has already assessed the ship and verified there is no booby-trap, while Salik has discovered the ship has only trace gases in its atmosphere, which would make it impossible for humans to survive. Adama opens up the ship so its atmosphere matches the deck's, and the team enters. They soon find all six life-signs coming from a series of life-support tanks - "cocoons" - built for long-distance travel where resources were at a premium. Salik advises against activating the units, however, as they do not know the underlying technology and may accidentally kill the occupants, though Wilker insists he able to experiment on one cocoon to understand its functions. Athena is teaching a group of children on Galactica, and raises the topic of the people on the ship. Athena explains to the children why the crew are not being let out immediately, teaching them that the human body needs time to adapt to a new environment, and anything from unfamiliar food to unfamiliar germs could cause harm. Through analogy, the children are asked if they or their parents got sick after the Cylon attack on the Colonies, which a child confirms, owing to being unaccustomed to what was in their ship's food supplies. Boxey interrupts by asking if it is true the people will wipe out the fleet with their germs, having overheard Apollo and Starbuck arguing. Athena holds the class and takes Boxey out of the room to confront Apollo, who's casual cynicism is a risk to the children's morale.
Act 2
The delay in getting the six people out of their cocoons begins affecting the crew. Drs. Wilker and Salik themselves are at a loss and simply cannot work out how to operate the machinery, forcing them to consider pressing random buttons to get one of the children awake, a process that may be lethal. Athena finds Apollo in an agitated state as he sits in the Warriors' mess with Boomer. He suggests they simply let the ship go on its way to whether it was headed. Boomer disagrees, and points out that although they've encountered other humans since the attack, they've all been lost colonies descended from the Twelve Tribes made up of pioneers and stragglers, using antiquated technology that the Twelve Colonies developed. They have spent their time since the attack searching for Earth, and this technologically advanced civilisation with unfamiliar technology must therefore be them. Starbuck concurs. They have gone past many planets that could have supported human life, but the desire to find the other humans has kept them from settling. Apollo rejects this claim, and insists that mankind is on the run and the only reason they need Earth is the hope it can protect them from the Cylons. Other people bring themselves into the discussion and insist that if the doctors don't succeed soon, it is obvious the Council of Twelve will force radical solutions. Soon, a delegation consisting of members of the Council of the Twelve arrive on Galactica to see the ship in person. They are forced away by Jolly as they have not received permission from Adama. He adds to a newly-arrived Apollo that representatives of ships across the fleet have also arrived. Wilker's experiment on a cocoon is going poorly, and has caused a power shortage. Based on his studies, Wilker confirms to Adama that the people are from a planet known as Terra, which has one fifth the atmosphere of Caprica. Adama, familiar with the Gemenese language, notices it means "earth" in that language. Sire Gellar enters Adama's office, and demands the six people be released from their slumber immediately, seeing Adama's inaction as one of apathy. Adama is unwilling to do so, but also unwilling to take Apollo's suggestion of leaving them be. Gellar leaves to call a council session to reach a verdict. Boxey returns to class late from lunch, having spied on the on-going developments. He notes that there are children, but they don't move. Athena explains "suspension" to the children - that a limit on basic resources such as Oxygen would otherwise restrict the travel distance of vessels. The hangar deck becomes filled with civilians demanding to see the six, forcing additional security personnel to guard the ship. Silker orders Starbuck, Jolly and Boomer to ban anyone from entering when he sees the mob has grown outside, and soon learns about the impending vote by the council. Security Office Reese disputes the validity of the Warriors' calls to get back, as this is a civilian matter being discussed by the civilian government and not a military matter. The three Warriors raise their weapons at the Security Officers to keep them back. Inside, one of the passengers, Michael, is released from his cocoon, having been set to awaken after a given time. He awakens the other five, starting with the other adult, Sarah. He is concerned, as their ship is off-course and their cocoons are faulty. He tells her to guard the children while he investigates the rest of the ship. On Galactica, the Council rules the six must be released, as they understand their systems are now failing anyway, starting with the adult male. Salik refuses to follow the order as it is against his medical ethics, and two med-techs from the Rising Star are ordered to do it anyway. News reaches the crew on the hangar bay as Michael exits the ship. Believing he is being held hostage, he demands they keep away, and shoots a man when he approaches. He refuses to believe Apollo's claim they are on a ship, as he knows no ship so large, demanding instead to know if it is a Lunar outpost. He soon passes out, the result of not being adapted to Caprican atmosphere levels. Starbuck and Apollo enter the ship, and find Sarah equally distressed and weak. Salik orders everyone be taken to the Life Station to be placed in ventilators, as it is the only way they can survive. Another meeting is held at Adama's office. Apollo brings up how the cocoons were near depleted before Wilker toyed with them, which could mean that there is a planet nearby full of humans who could be contacted instead. Starbuck suggests Adama take charge of the ship and its crew as a military matter, by bringing up the man who was shot with a stunning device. Finally, the order is given to jettison the craft and its passengers to protect them from disease spread by the Colonials. Cassiopeia launches the ship earlier than expected, however, and Jolly and Boomer realise too late that only Michael's cocoon was returned to the ship. The Council, unaware of the "military" decision to jettison the ship, demand it be returned. Apollo and Starbuck are launched in their Vipers to retrieve it, the launch having been set to coincide with the two being prepared for a standard control.
Act 3
While the stand-off carries out, inside the ship one of the cocoons is opened automatically, having been set to keep the occupant in suspension for a designated time. The occupant, a man named Michael, looks out of a window and spots the ruckus, and immediately releases the adult woman, Sarah. He warns her they are not where they are supposed to be, and has her remain to make sure the children's cocoons don't shut down spontaneously. Elsewhere on Galactica, the Council continues to discuss the situation. The Council is now aware from Salik of the ship's power supply problems, and Geller insists that they may as well release the adult male and trust him to know what to do with the ship and its other occupants. Salik refuses to carry out the procedure and walks out of the meeting. The Council rules in favour of freeing the occupants, and these orders reach the hangar deck. Reese is now free to move by the Warriors and lead the visitors to the vessel. Before they can reach it, Michael leaves and warns them not to get any closer. Reese tries to de-escalate the situation, but is shot with an energy weapon, scaring the other visitors away while the crew attends to Reese. Apollo tries to de-escalate this time, calling the two "brothers", though Michael misunderstands this to mean they are fellow soldiers, which he does not believe due to the unrecognisable patches. Apollo tells him he is on a ship, but Michael does not believe he could be on a ship so big. He falls down with breathing difficulties due to the dense atmosphere, believing himself to be poisoned. Cassiopeia confirms it to be the atmosphere and not a bacterial infection as Salik considers. Salik orders Michael be placed in one of the Life Station's ventilators for recovery, while Adama checks on Sarah.
•Lorne Greene as Commander Adama
•Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo
•Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Starbuck
•Terry Carter as Colonel Tigh
•John Colicos as Count Baltar
•Herbert Jefferson, Jr. as Lieutenant Boomer
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The possibility of earthling passengers aboard a captured alien spacecraft spreads excitement throughout the Battlestar Galactica. While the humans, a family...
Visit the movie page for 'Greetings From Earth' on Moviefone. Discover the movie's synopsis, cast details and release date. Watch trailers, exclusive interviews, and movie review. Your guide to ...
- Curtis Schreier, Ed Tannenbaum
- Electron Movers
Battlestar Galactica (1978–79) In a distant part of the cosmos, the human race is embroiled in a thousand-year-long war with the robotic Cylons. Aided by the human traitor Baltar, an armistice turns out to be a ruse by the Cylons, who launch a massive surprise attack against the Twelve Colonies of humanity, almost wiping them out.
Original series rewatch comments: Greetings from Earth. And onto the episode in which we meet space Nazis... It's sort of amazing just how much this episode leans into hard science fiction. One of the key plot points is that Michael and Sarah - the passengers of the automated shuttle the Galactica recon probes find - were born and grew up in a ...