Spaceball (Battlestar Galactica)

Infobox Television episode | Title = Spaceball
Series = Galactica 1980
Season = 1
Episode = 6
Airdate = March 30 1980
Writer = Frank Lupo, Jeff Freilich, and Glen A. Larson
Director = Barry Crane
Guests = Jeremy Brett as Xavier, Fred Holliday as Mr. Brooks, Paul Koslo as Billy, Bert Rosario as Hal
Episode list = Episode chronology
Prev = The Super Scouts
Next = The Night the Cylons Landed

"Spaceball" is the sixth episode produced for the short-lived television series "Galactica 1980", a spin-off of the earlier ABC science fiction series "Battlestar Galactica". The episode first aired on March 30, 1980 on ABC.

Plot

A lone Colonial Viper appears in a clearing. The pilot, Lt. Nash, explains the secrecy around Troy and Dillon’s mission by announcing that Dr. Xavier has returned to their present time frame, and Dr. Zee is attempting to prevent the rogue scientist from intercepting their transmissions. Nash claims the ship will take them to Xavier; he promises to watch the children. The two warriors fly into space, but upon contacting Galactica learn that Nash is still aboard ship and there is no secret mission. Evidently, the ‘Nash’ they met was Xavier, who has gained the powers of epidermal transformation. The Viper they are now using is Xavier’s and what’s more it has been sabotaged, losing all power and trapping everyone aboard with 24 hours of air. Adama speaks with Zee and the two realize that Xavier has purposely moved Troy and Dillon away from their children, who now can be used as his bargaining tools for freedom. As they don't know where the children are, Adama and Zee are effectively helpless.

The children are with Jamie Hamilton, who is giving them a tour of the "United Broadcasting Corporation"’s Studios (whose signs read UBC instead of UBS as in previous episodes). After she leaves for a staff meeting, one of the Scouts, Wellington, provides the other Scouts with a demonstration of television which necessitates dismantling an entire camera. At the meeting, Mr. Brooks mentions a human interest story: Billy Ayers, a former National League Bonus Baby and the current owner of Casey’s Camp for Underprivileged Children, is in financial trouble. Jamie volunteers to pursue the story. Brooks, worried about her recent escapades, assigns a Cameraman, Hal, and orders Jamie to stay out of trouble. A technician hauls everyone down to the studio, but they find that the children—upon meeting the upset technician—have already put the dismantled camera back together. Jamie covers for the Scouts by telling Brooks that they are orphans.

At the Baseball Park, Billy explains that if their team does not win the regionals the donations needed to keep his camp running will dry up. Hal, upon seeing one of the Scouts, Starla, throw a ball to an enormous distance, says she has an arm like Nolan Ryan. Jamie tells him she has a genetic mutation, and then orders the kids not to show off their abilities. Shortly thereafter, Jamie meets ‘Lt. Nash’ and the two learn that half of Billy’s team now has the flu. If they have to forfeit the game their landowner is likely to sell the property. Jamie then gets a call from Brooks, who tells her that he was just visited by Colonel Sydell, who has decided to focus his investigation of recent events upon Jamie. He does not tell her that ‘Nash’ was also at his office looking for the children. Jamie then shows Billy what her kids can really do. Meanwhile, Xavier contacts Adama, demanding his freedom on Earth.

The baseball game is held between Billy’s team—the Polecats—and their rivals, the Encino Cougars. Before the game can start, Sydell arrives, thus forcing Jamie to tell the Scouts to play badly. They are slaughtered by the competition for several innings.

Realizing their air will run out before re-entering Galactica’s communications range, Troy and Dillon conduct a spacewalk to fix their ship’s master circuits. Once repaired, they speed towards the coordinates of Xavier’s transmissions. Jamie overhears one such communiqué, in which Adama refuses Xavier’s demands. She tells the children they must now play to win. They do so spectacularly and are surrounded by a press crunch, therefore unable to sneak away with Xavier, who takes Jamie hostage. But Sydell finds Jamie and Xavier, as do Troy and Dillon, and a running firefight ensues, during which the Colonel is shot. Troy and Dillon break off pursuit. The episode ends with the two warriors taking over responsibilities for the children, and the previous episode’s final card is shown.

External links

* at the Battlestar Wiki