The Lost Warrior
Encyclopedia
"The Lost Warrior" is an episode of the original Battlestar Galactica
television series.
, in his Viper
, under attack by Cylon Raider
s. He radios for help, but does so only to deceive the Cylons and lure them away from the fleet. He eventually loses his pursuers, but at the cost of his fuel supply and he is forced to land on a nearby planet.
On the world, a young boy named Puppis
(named, as other characters are, for a constellation
), sees Apollo land and investigates. He greets Apollo, who learns he is on a forgotten frontier planet called Equellus whose people live in an Old West-style society with limited technology. Puppis' mother Vela arrives and strongly urges Apollo to hide his ship. Afterward, Vela and Puppis take Apollo back to their farm where Puppis shows off his "pneumo gun" – a glorified air rifle. Puppis informs Apollo that more powerful weapons are forbidden by a local leader named Lacerta who only permits his thug "Red Eye" to carry a laser gun similar to Apollo's side arm. Puppis believes Apollo can take out Red Eye because pneumo guns are apparently powerless against him.
Suddenly, Red Eye arrives at the farm and Apollo hides. He is shocked to see the gunslinger is really a Cylon Centurion. Red Eye questions Vela and Puppis about "mysterious noises" – like that of a ship landing – but the two feign ignorance. Red Eye leaves when Vela's brother Boötes arrives and offers misleading directions to the crash site. Apollo meets Boötes who identifies Apollo as a Colonial Warrior just like Puppis' late father who was a Colonial pilot named Marten. Nine years earlier, Marten crashed on the planet after a battle. Vela nursed him back to health and later they fell in love. When Apollo brings up the fact that Red Eye is armed with a Colonial-issued laser, Vela tells him that it was Marten's gun and that one day Lacerta showed up at their farm with Red Eye to demand tribute. Marten attacked Red Eye and was killed.
Later, Apollo visits the local saloon where he sees Red Eye sitting in a corner watching over Lacerta. Apollo is then bullied by a thug named Marco who intimidates others as a way to gain Lacerta's favor. Apollo instead tries to make "friends" with Red Eye, but the Cylon pulls his weapon. Lacerta calls Red Eye off and demands Apollo state his business. Apollo claims he was trying to impress Lacerta in hopes of getting a job. He is then laughed out of the bar. Apollo returns to the farm only to learn that Puppis ran out into the night to hunt a lupus, (a dangerous wolf-like creature), that has killed much of the livestock. Apollo finds the boy who succeeded in killing the beast.
Back at the fleet, Colonel Tigh
convinces Commander Adama
to send a patrol to find Apollo while the fleet is still in range. Only Lieutenants Starbuck
and Boomer
take patrol, as Starbuck wasn't willing to allow Boxey
to lose another family member. The two, along with the other pilots, were playing Pyramid with the boy, who has gained an upper hand much to their surprise before being ordered to brush his teeth by Cassiopeia
.
Back on the planet, Vela is told by a friend named Jason that half of Boötes' herd of ovines was taken by Lacerta as tribute. Enraged, Boötes has gone to town to confront Lacerta and Jason fears Red Eye could kill him. Apollo rushes to town with Vela and Puppis, but they are too late. When Boötes threatens to kill Lacerta, Red Eye shoots and kills him. When Apollo does nothing, Puppis storms away disappointed.
Uncertain as to why a Cylon is here and backing a human con man, Apollo learns from a bar maid named Macy that Lacerta found Red Eye among the wreckage of a crashed ship. Somehow, he reactivated the Centurion, whose programming got scrambled, and mistook Lacerta for its Imperious Leader
.
Apollo returns to town where he confronts Lacerta who quickly calls Red Eye to his defense. When Red Eye steps from the saloon, a western duel begins. Red Eye draws his gun, but Apollo is quicker on the draw and blasts the Cylon to oblivion. With his powerful sidekick defeated, Lacerta is quickly run out of town as the others cheer Apollo as their new hero.
Later, Vela helps Apollo retrieve the fuel from Marten's crashed Viper to refuel his ship. He says his goodbyes to her and Puppis and heads off into space. He is quickly found by Starbuck and Boomer, and guided back to the fleet.
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
television series.
Plot synopsis
The episode begins with ApolloCaptain Apollo
Captain Apollo is the name of a fictional character in the Battlestar Galactica franchise. He was first played by Richard Hatch, who would also later appear as the character of Tom Zarek in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series in 2005....
, in his Viper
Colonial Viper
The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are carried aboard...
, under attack by Cylon Raider
Cylon Raider
The Cylon Raider is the standard starfighter used by the Cylons, in the various Battlestar Galactica movies and television series. Cylon raiders are used as the main line of defense for Cylon Basestars.- Original series :...
s. He radios for help, but does so only to deceive the Cylons and lure them away from the fleet. He eventually loses his pursuers, but at the cost of his fuel supply and he is forced to land on a nearby planet.
On the world, a young boy named Puppis
Puppis
Puppis is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is the Latin word for the poop deck of a ship, and Puppis represents the deck of the ship and its deckhouses...
(named, as other characters are, for a constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
), sees Apollo land and investigates. He greets Apollo, who learns he is on a forgotten frontier planet called Equellus whose people live in an Old West-style society with limited technology. Puppis' mother Vela arrives and strongly urges Apollo to hide his ship. Afterward, Vela and Puppis take Apollo back to their farm where Puppis shows off his "pneumo gun" – a glorified air rifle. Puppis informs Apollo that more powerful weapons are forbidden by a local leader named Lacerta who only permits his thug "Red Eye" to carry a laser gun similar to Apollo's side arm. Puppis believes Apollo can take out Red Eye because pneumo guns are apparently powerless against him.
Suddenly, Red Eye arrives at the farm and Apollo hides. He is shocked to see the gunslinger is really a Cylon Centurion. Red Eye questions Vela and Puppis about "mysterious noises" – like that of a ship landing – but the two feign ignorance. Red Eye leaves when Vela's brother Boötes arrives and offers misleading directions to the crash site. Apollo meets Boötes who identifies Apollo as a Colonial Warrior just like Puppis' late father who was a Colonial pilot named Marten. Nine years earlier, Marten crashed on the planet after a battle. Vela nursed him back to health and later they fell in love. When Apollo brings up the fact that Red Eye is armed with a Colonial-issued laser, Vela tells him that it was Marten's gun and that one day Lacerta showed up at their farm with Red Eye to demand tribute. Marten attacked Red Eye and was killed.
Later, Apollo visits the local saloon where he sees Red Eye sitting in a corner watching over Lacerta. Apollo is then bullied by a thug named Marco who intimidates others as a way to gain Lacerta's favor. Apollo instead tries to make "friends" with Red Eye, but the Cylon pulls his weapon. Lacerta calls Red Eye off and demands Apollo state his business. Apollo claims he was trying to impress Lacerta in hopes of getting a job. He is then laughed out of the bar. Apollo returns to the farm only to learn that Puppis ran out into the night to hunt a lupus, (a dangerous wolf-like creature), that has killed much of the livestock. Apollo finds the boy who succeeded in killing the beast.
Back at the fleet, Colonel Tigh
Colonel Tigh
Colonel Tigh is a fictional character in the original 1978 TV series Battlestar Galactica, played by Terry Carter. He is the Executive Officer of the titutlar ship. In his early years, he flew a Viper in the same squadron as Commander Adama. Tigh at first appears to be strictly by-the-book and a...
convinces Commander Adama
Commander Adama
Commander Adama is a fictional character in the 1978 movie and subsequent ABC television series Battlestar Galactica and its continuation series, Galactica 1980. Adama is the commander of the great military vessel Battlestar Galactica, commander of the refugee fleet and military commander of the...
to send a patrol to find Apollo while the fleet is still in range. Only Lieutenants Starbuck
Lieutenant Starbuck
Lieutenant Starbuck of the Colonial Service, played by Dirk Benedict, is a fictional character in the 1978 science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. Starbuck is a Viper starfighter pilot, gambler, womanizer and smoker of "fumerellos," or cigars. He is involved with Lieutenant Athena...
and Boomer
Lieutenant Boomer
Lieutenant Boomer, later known as Colonel Boomer, was a character on the 1978-1979 television series Battlestar Galactica and its spin-off series Galactica 1980. He was portrayed on both series by Herbert Jefferson, Jr. Boomer was a lieutenant in the Colonial Service, an officer with a background...
take patrol, as Starbuck wasn't willing to allow Boxey
Boxey
Boxey is a fictional character from the original Battlestar Galactica television series portrayed by Noah Hathaway. He is the son of Serina and the stepson of Captain Apollo. Boxey grows up to become Captain Troy in Galactica 1980, portrayed by Kent McCord...
to lose another family member. The two, along with the other pilots, were playing Pyramid with the boy, who has gained an upper hand much to their surprise before being ordered to brush his teeth by Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia (Battlestar Galactica)
Cassiopeia is a fictional character in the original Battlestar Galactica which ran on ABC from 1978 to 1979. The role was portrayed by Laurette Spang.-History:...
.
Back on the planet, Vela is told by a friend named Jason that half of Boötes' herd of ovines was taken by Lacerta as tribute. Enraged, Boötes has gone to town to confront Lacerta and Jason fears Red Eye could kill him. Apollo rushes to town with Vela and Puppis, but they are too late. When Boötes threatens to kill Lacerta, Red Eye shoots and kills him. When Apollo does nothing, Puppis storms away disappointed.
Uncertain as to why a Cylon is here and backing a human con man, Apollo learns from a bar maid named Macy that Lacerta found Red Eye among the wreckage of a crashed ship. Somehow, he reactivated the Centurion, whose programming got scrambled, and mistook Lacerta for its Imperious Leader
Imperious Leader
The Imperious Leader is the ruler of the Cylons as depicted in the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series.The Imperious Leader's body is built to resemble the reptilian race that originally built the Cylons, but is not organic in any way...
.
Apollo returns to town where he confronts Lacerta who quickly calls Red Eye to his defense. When Red Eye steps from the saloon, a western duel begins. Red Eye draws his gun, but Apollo is quicker on the draw and blasts the Cylon to oblivion. With his powerful sidekick defeated, Lacerta is quickly run out of town as the others cheer Apollo as their new hero.
Later, Vela helps Apollo retrieve the fuel from Marten's crashed Viper to refuel his ship. He says his goodbyes to her and Puppis and heads off into space. He is quickly found by Starbuck and Boomer, and guided back to the fleet.
Production notes
- The character names VelaVela (constellation)Vela is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the sails of a ship, and it was originally part of a larger constellation, the ship Argo Navis, which was later divided into three parts, the others being Carina and Puppis.-Stars:...
, PuppisPuppisPuppis is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is the Latin word for the poop deck of a ship, and Puppis represents the deck of the ship and its deckhouses...
, and BoötesBoötesBoötes is a constellation in the northern sky, located between 0° and +60° declination, and 13 and 16 hours of right ascension on the celestial sphere. The name comes from the Greek Βοώτης, Boōtēs, meaning herdsman or plowman...
are taken from the names of star constellations, as is the name CassiopeiaCassiopeia-Mythology:* Cassiopeia , a queen of Ethiopia and mother of Andromeda in Greek mythology.-Science:* Cassiopeia , a northern constellation representing the queen* Cassiopeia A, a supernova remnant in that constellation....
.
- The animals in this episode were portrayed as alien creatures - of note the horses had striped fur (similar to a zebra) and their sounds were overdubbed wildcat growls. The livestock were sheep-like animals called Ovines, and the lupis was a vicious wolf-like creature; these names are LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
in origin.
External links
- The Lost Warrior at the Battlestar Wiki