Battlestar Galactica The Resistance: Parts 3 & 4

The Upshot: Duck grieves for his dead wife Nora as he blames Tigh for hiding The Resistance’s weapons in The Temple. Following the massacre of 10 bystanders at The Temple by the Cylons, a guilt-ridden Jammer debates with Tigh about the ethics of endangering innocents during wartime.

Jammer agonizes over the repercussions of the Temple massacre—including the resulting mass arrests by the Cylons, Tigh notes the propaganda victory that’s been gained and resulting popular support for the Resistance.

While Jammer is proving to be a reluctant guerrilla warrior, it’s clear for all to see that Tigh is almost enjoying himself. The hell of it is that both Jammer and Tigh are correct.

Jammer is right on the merits that they should be fighting the enemy and protecting the non-combatants—that’s the ideal view. But Tigh, none too gently, scores the argument’s knock-out blow by citing the obvious and irrefutable—it was the “toasters” who killed the 10 people at the Temple, so say nothing of the 20 billion from the Twelve Colonies killed during the Holocaust.

In guerrilla warfare, there are no front lines or innocents, no bystanders—you are either with the Resistance or against them.

The viewer sympathizes with Jammer’s argument and wants him to prevail against Tigh, if for no other reason that Tigh is such a fraking hard case. Yet it’s painful to concede the point to him.
Resistance leader Tigh makes the former Executive Officer of Galactica look down right cuddly. The irony here is that Tigh is more in his element with his back against the wall fighting an insurgency than he ever was during the “peace” as Adama’s XO—the consummate war-time hero, peace-time frak up.

Frak you Colonel—but we salute you anyway.