Battlestar Galactica

We knew Razor would be tough to watch, but watching this clip from the movie it seems possible that the Battlestar Galactica telemovie may be the darkest entry in the BSG cannon.

Fans who have seen the episodes Pegasus and Resurrection Ship Parts I & II know that Michelle Forbes’ Helena Cain is as harsh in her leadership style as Admiral Adama is pragmatic in his. She was relentless in her hunting of the Cylons after the attack on the Colonies, to the point that she killed members of her crew and authorized torture techniques that would make even the Justice Department uncomfortable.

So it’s not likely there will be many lighthearted moments in a movie determined to spend two hours in the belly of Admiral Cain’s beast, the Pegasus. For spoilers that shed some light on this darkness, click the “more” button below.

It’s hard to forget Gina, the broken and battered version of Number Six, lying almost comatose on the floor of the torture room on the Pegasus. The haunting scene of Tricia Helfer, as the Number Six on Baltar’s head, viewing this horrifying version of herself and realizing what has happened to the bound woman who is her mirror image … that scene is one of the darker scenes of the series so far, and the clip above confirms speculation that we will learn more about the events leading to that moment in Razor.

Season Two showed without a doubt that Admiral Cain allowed, even ordered, her crew to rape Gina repeatedly. What we learn in Razor is that Gina and Cain were lovers before Gina was revealed to be a Cylon, and part of Helena Cain’s rage comes from being a betrayed lover as well as a betrayed leader. Just as she felt Gina violated her trust, Cain ordered her crew to violate Gina’s body. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned seems too tame for the cool rage of Helena Cain.

What we don’t see in the clip, and what we don’t yet know, is if the Pegasus was a feral beast before the attacks on the Colonies. Was that always a harsh ship to serve on, one that placed the ends so far above the means as to walk the line of madness? Or did the Cylon attacks, the isolation that followed, the stress of war and the discovery of her lover’s betrayal combine to squelch the sanity of Helena Cain and lead her to cruel acts that brought out the ugly natures of her remaining crew?

Battlestar Galactica, Razor, Helena Cain, Michelle Forbes, Number Six, Tricia Helfer, Pegasus, Cylon, Number Six, Baltar, torture