From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"33" is the first episode of the reimagined 2004 Battlestar Galactica television series, immediately proceeding the events of the miniseries.^[1][2] "33" won the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form^[3], and drew a 2.6 household Nielsen rating, attracting 3.1 million viewers and making it the #2 program on cable (8pm-11pm).^[4]

Having fled the besieged Ragnar Anchorage at the end of the miniseries, the convoy of refugee ships is relentlessly and repeatedly attacked by the Cylons. The fleet must execute a faster-than-light jump to escape the Cylons each time they appear, but the Cylons always reappear at their new co-ordinates exactly 33 minutes later. The fleet's crews, particularly those aboard Galactica who must fight a delaying action to cover every jump, have been operating without sleep for 133 hours (over five days) and face the strain of constant action. Most of the episode focuses on the perils of the constant escape.

Meanwhile, on Caprica, Lt. Karl Agathon (call-sign "Helo") is still alive and running for his life from Cylon patrols. While being chased, he manages to lure two Cylon Centurions into an ambush, setting off explosives to destroy them. Helo is surprised when he sees that his raptor pilot Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii has returned to Caprica to rescue him. Little does he know that she is not only a Cylon, but not even "his" Sharon—that copy is aboard Galactica.

Back at the fleet, a civilian ship, the Olympic Carrier, is mistakenly left behind during one FTL escape with over 1300 people aboard. Suddenly, the Cylon attacks cease, allowing the fleet some respite. The Olympic Carrier jumps in after three hours of peace and makes radio contact with the fleet, but Dr. Baltar advises President Laura Roslin that the ship may have been infiltrated by Cylons during its absence and is a threat to the fleet's safety. Orders are given for the ship not to approach the fleet, but the vessel does not respond and heads directly towards them. When sensors detect active nuclear weapons aboard the Olympic Carrier, The President and Commander Adama order Capt. Lee "Apollo" Adama and Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace to destroy it. After hesitating to fire on what is ostensibly a civilian ship, they realise that they have no choice and destroy the ship. This is a relief to Baltar, as the Olympic Carrier was carrying Dr. Amorak, a passenger who had earlier contacted the President and insisted that he had information regarding a traitor in their midst. Baltar suspected that Amorak had knowledge about Baltar's unwitting collusion with the Cylon attack on the colonies. Baltar's Internal Six declares that God is looking after Baltar's interests by allowing the destruction of the Olympic Carrier. He is less than impressed by her explanation.

After a final attack, the fleet—sans Olympic Carrier—makes one more jump, and the Cylons do not return. Colonial One's survivor whiteboard is updated after the birth of the fleet's first child.

With sleep deprivation one of the major plot points of the episode, actor Edward James Olmos (William Adama) liaised with an expert on the subject and the crew to best depict the actual effects realistically. Following up, director Michael Rymer gave each main cast member a specific symptom to play up, so as to avoid repetition on screen. Olmos and several other cast members took their study a step further, to immerse themselves by restricting their sleep patterns to about three hours a night to emphasize what their expert was imparting.^[5]

Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama) claimed later that "33" is his favourite episode, as well as "...the perfect episode of Battlestar Galactica." Emphasizing the dark, gritty, and nightmarish aspects of the episode, Bamber felt it was a microcosm of the series as a whole.^[6]

• "33" at SCIFI.COM
• "33" at the Battlestar Wiki