Season 3
The Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, which began as a 1978 TV series, was "reimagined" in 2003 into a TV mini-series. The mini-series served as a backdoor pilot for a 2004 TV series.
Featuring re-imagined, more deeply portrayed favourite characters from the original series, each season of the show sees the crew of Galactica facing new adventures, challenges, failures and conquests as they travel through time and space trying to find what they're searching for.
The mini-series originally aired in the USA on the Sci Fi channel from 8-9 December, 2003. The full series premiered on 18 October, 2004 and ended in the USA on 20 March, 2009.
The mini-series aired in South Africa on M-Net from 8-22 July, 2005. The full series aired on M-Net Action (previously known as actionX) from 9 August, 2005 to 6 May, 2009. It later aired on TopTV's FOX FX channel. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 3 originally aired on actionX from 18 April to 29 August 2007, on Wednesdays at 21h00. New episodes broadcast weekly.
Season 3 premiered on FOX FX on Tuesday 20 August 2013, at 20h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 20 episodes in the third season.
Season 3
Humanity's last survivors struggle to be free and follow the clues to Earth — and the Cylons haunt their every move.
For months, the humans on Cylon-occupied New Caprica struggle to survive while faced with the constant threat of imprisonment, torture and execution at the hands of their Cylon overseers.
Some collaborate with the Cylons; some become resistance fighters. At last, they are liberated by the Galactica and the Pegasus (which is destroyed in the fight).
The human fleet resumes its search for Earth, but the traumatic events of the occupation haunt all who suffered them, leading to suspicion, anger and outbreaks of violence.
In this turbulent atmosphere, Kara Thrace and Lee Adama — both married to other people — begin an affair.
Meanwhile, Gaius Baltar, the former president of New Caprica who collaborated with the occupation, travels with the Cylon fleet. His relationship with Caprica Six gives way to a close bond with Number Three, who is on an unauthorized quest to explore Cylon spiritual mysteries.
Among other things, she longs to discover the identities of the "final five" Cylons: mysterious, quasi-mystical figures about whom the seven known Cylon models are ignorant (in some cases, willfully so).
After one deep-space confrontation in which the humans come close to deploying a genocidal plague against the Cylon race, humans and Cylons converge a second time above a planet that's home to the ancient Temple of Five. The Temple was built by the members of the 13th colony who journeyed to Earth many centuries earlier.
Roslin hopes that the temple houses a clue to Earth's location; Number Three expects to learn about the final five Cylons.
During the tense standoff that follows, the humans discover that their route lies toward the distant Ionian Nebula. They also capture Gaius Baltar and Caprica Six.
Meanwhile, Number Three receives a vision of the final five Cylons. Before she can share her new knowledge, however, her fellow Cylons, unnerved by her rebellious actions, "box" all copies of her — condemning her consciousness to indefinite "cold storage."
After the fleet escapes the Cylons and sets course for the Ionian Nebula, Admiral Adama and President Roslin turn their attention to their prisoner, Gaius Baltar. Baltar reacts by publishing a manifesto from the Galactica's brig that stirs up class conflict by accusing the fleet's elites of repressing the workers.
Plague outbreaks and labour disputes involving disadvantaged citizens lend credibility to his accusations. Roslin and Adama's ultimate decision to give him a fair trial angers both the occupation survivors who want him summarily executed and the downtrodden workers for whom he's becoming a hero.
Kara and Lee, meanwhile, force themselves to end their affair and repair their marriages. Then Kara begins to see visions. As she pursues an internal quest that only she understands, her behaviour grows erratic.
On a Viper patrol mission, she dives into a vast storm above a planet and apparently is killed when her Viper explodes. Her husband Sam Anders and both Adamas are devastated by her loss.
Gaius Baltar's trial for treason against humanity begins, with Admiral Adama sitting on the judges' tribunal and Laura Roslin testifying for the prosecution. Romo Lampkin, Baltar's brilliant and manipulative attorney, recruits Lee Adama to assist the defense.
Lee takes his job so seriously that he alienates his father, Roslin and his wife, Anastasia Dualla, with his zealous defence of his client. He resigns his military commission, and Dualla asks him for a separation. Baltar is acquitted and spirited away by some of his followers.
As the fleet reaches the Ionian Nebula, a mysterious song guides Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Sam Anders and Tory Foster to an obscure compartment aboard the Galactica.
When the four converge, they intuitively realize that they have been summoned in this way because they are Cylons — four of the final five. As they struggle to face this horrifying truth, the fleet comes under attack. The Cylons have found them once again.
Though no longer a military pilot, Lee jumps into a Viper and flies out to defend the human fleet. In the eerie light of the nebula, another Viper appears alongside his. To his shock, Kara Thrace is flying it.
The woman he thought was dead hails him with the news that she has found Earth — and she's going to show the fleet how to get there.
Seasons
Mini-Series (3 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 8 Jul 2005 | Finale: 22 Jul 2005 | Fridays, 18h00
Season 1 (13 episodes)
Channel: actionX | Premiere: 9 Aug 2005 | Finale: 1 Nov 2005 | Tuesdays, 18h00
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 11 May 2011 | Finale: 3 Aug 2011 | Wednesdays, 20h40
Season 2 (20 episodes)
Channel: actionX | Premiere: 12 Jul 2006 | Finale: 22 Nov 2006 | Wednesdays, 20h00
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 7 Mar 2012 | Finale: 18 Jul 2012 | Wednesdays, 20h30
Season 3 (20 episodes)
Channel: actionX | Premiere: 18 Apr 2007 | Finale: 29 Aug 2007 | Wednesdays, 20h00
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 20 Aug 2013 | Finale: 31 Dec 2013 | Tuesdays, 20h30
Razor (Note: Razor aired in SA as the first two episodes of Season 4)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 16 Apr 2008 | Finale: 23 Apr 2008 | Wednesdays, 20h00
Season 4 (20 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 16 Apr 2008 | Finale: 6 May 2009 | Wednesdays, 20h00
The Plan
Channel: M-Net | Aired: 25 March 2011 | Friday, 21h30
Channel: M-Net HD | Aired: 25 March 2011 | Friday, 21h30
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