best episodes of Battlestar Galactica poster

When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.

4 Seasons
73 Episodes
Ended
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Action & Adventure Drama
Cast & Characters
episode image Crossroads (2)
9.2/10 (3097 votes)

#1 Crossroads (2)

S3:E20

As Baltar's trial comes to a conclusion, key members of the fleet discover that they may be the Final Five Cylons. Tigh attempts to decipher the strange music he is hearing in his head, while a Cylon fleet approaches.

episode image Exodus (2)
9.1/10 (2804 votes)

#2 Exodus (2)

S3:E4

Tigh must decide the fate of his wife Ellen after the assistance she rendered to the Cylons. Lee struggles with his assignment to protect the civilian fleet on its journey toward Earth while Adama returns to New Caprica with just the Galactica. The Resistance coordinates an attack on the Cylons just as Galactica arrives. As the Cylons begin to lose control, Number Three vows to put a final end to the New Caprican experiment.

episode image Revelations
9.1/10 (2254 votes)

#3 Revelations

S4:E10

D'Anna holds President Roslin and other Colonials hostage in order to draw out the Final Five from the Colonial fleet. Col. Tigh believes he has the solution to end the standoff.

episode image Blood on the Scales
9.1/10 (2292 votes)

#4 Blood on the Scales

S4:E14

President Roslin faces off against Tom Zarek and Lt. Gaeta as they try to take control of the Colonial fleet. Both the alliance with the rebel Cylons and Adama's life are at stake.

episode image Pegasus
9.0/10 (2621 votes)

#5 Pegasus

S2:E10

Battlestar Galactica was not the only Battlestar to have survived the cylon attack, The Battlestar Pegasus also survived.

episode image The Oath
9.0/10 (2125 votes)

#6 The Oath

S4:E13

Loyalties are made clear when Gaeta orchestrates a coup d'état of the Adama regime. Both prisoners and lives are taken as many of the fed up people work to take over Galactica.

episode image Daybreak (2)
9.0/10 (3260 votes)

#7 Daybreak (2)

S4:E20

Adama and the Galactica crew stake the survival of the human race on their plan to rescue Hera from the Cylon colony in this, the series finale.

episode image Resurrection Ship (2)
8.9/10 (2392 votes)

#8 Resurrection Ship (2)

S2:E12

The struggle between Adama and Cain is temporarily put on hold while the two Battlestars combine forces for an assault on the Cylon Resurrection Ship. Apollo faces a momentous decision and Baltar takes an interest in Gina, the Cylon prisoner.

episode image Kobol's Last Gleaming (2)
8.8/10 (2458 votes)

#9 Kobol's Last Gleaming (2)

S1:E13

When Commander Adama learns that Kara disobeyed orders and Jumped to Caprica on orders from President Roslin, he demands the president's resignation, with the implied threat of a military coup. Roslin refuses his demand and sparks a confrontation.

episode image Resurrection Ship (1)
8.8/10 (2304 votes)

#10 Resurrection Ship (1)

S2:E11

The Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus face a new Cylon target, a "Resurrection" ship, while a power struggle threatens to result in all-out war among the human fleet.

episode image Lay Down Your Burdens (2)
8.7/10 (2248 votes)

#11 Lay Down Your Burdens (2)

S2:E20

When Baltar wins the vote, Roslin considers stealing the election because she believes he is a Cylon collaborator.

episode image Sometimes a Great Notion
8.7/10 (2015 votes)

#12 Sometimes a Great Notion

S4:E11

Kara struggles with the foreboding prediction of the Cylon Hybrid, while Adama and the Colonial fleet face despair over their shocking discovery.

episode image The Hub
8.6/10 (1837 votes)

#13 The Hub

S4:E9

Colonial Viper pilots plan an attack on the Resurrection Hub with their Cylon rebel allies.

episode image 33
8.5/10 (3576 votes)

#14 33

S1:E1

In the wake of the Cylon sneak attack, the ragtag fleet of human survivors is forced to play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with their pursuers. Every 33 minutes, they make a jump to a new location. And every 33 minutes, the Cylons manage to find them. The pilots are on the brink of exhaustion, relying on artificial stimulants to keep fighting, and the civilians are beginning to doubt the leadership of Commander Adama and President Roslin.

episode image Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
8.5/10 (1873 votes)

#15 Guess What's Coming to Dinner?

S4:E7

President Roslin faces challenges as the Colonials plot with Cylon rebels to destroy a Resurrection Hub.

episode image The Hand of God
8.4/10 (2384 votes)

#16 The Hand of God

S1:E10

As its fuel supply dwindles, the fleet must seek out a new supply of tylium ore or risk becoming sitting ducks to any Cylon attack. A recon patrol finds an asteroid full of the fuel, but there's a catch — the Cylons have found it first and established a heavily guarded refining plant.

episode image Downloaded
8.4/10 (2184 votes)

#17 Downloaded

S2:E18

After Boomer's consciousness is downloaded into a new body following her death, she struggles with her new life on Cylon-occupied Caprica. Number Six is asked to help Boomer adjust to her new role in Cylon society.

episode image No Exit
8.4/10 (1813 votes)

#18 No Exit

S4:E15

As Sam Anders recovers from his head injury onboard the Galactica, he begins to remember events from ancient Earth. The Final Cylon struggles with the fallout from the Final Five's former plans. One of the humanoid Cylons vows to get revenge for being created in the image of Man. Tyrol informs Admiral Adama about the extensive structural damage on the Galactica.

episode image Daybreak (1)
8.4/10 (2036 votes)

#19 Daybreak (1)

S4:E19

With Galactica on the verge of falling apart, Admiral Adama readies the ship for what could be its final mission, as Baltar's Six warns that humanity's final chapter is near.

episode image Kobol's Last Gleaming (1)
8.3/10 (2284 votes)

#20 Kobol's Last Gleaming (1)

S1:E12

While flying a supply patrol, Crashdown and Sharon Valerii discover a bountiful planet that can support human life. Indeed, it might be Kobol, the legendary "home of the gods." The discovery prompts Commander Adama to send a ground team to investigate; it also gives new life to President Roslin's belief that she is a tool of destiny and that this discovery, like her rapidly spreading cancer, is part of an ancient prophecy.

episode image Home (2)
8.3/10 (2130 votes)

#21 Home (2)

S2:E7

Adama heads to Kobol to find Roslin, reassembles the fleet and heads down to Kobol himself to find the presidential party in search of the "Tomb of Athena" which allegedly leads to Earth. Apollo hangs out with Starbuck , Zarek tries to keep his cronie off plotting with Boomer who is unaware of tension building between Helo and Tyrol.

episode image Crossroads (1)
8.3/10 (2006 votes)

#22 Crossroads (1)

S3:E19

Baltar's trial testimony threatens the very stability of the fleet. Lee assists Romo Lampkin in Baltar's defense. Some in the fleet begin to feel that Baltar is divine. Though he dismisses such beliefs, Number Six suggests that the followers may know more about his true nature than Baltar does himself.

episode image He That Believeth in Me
8.3/10 (2061 votes)

#23 He That Believeth in Me

S4:E1

During the Cylon attack, Sam Anders has a strange encounter with a Cylon Raider. The crew of the Galactica view Starbuck's return with suspicion and doubt. Gaius Baltar takes refuge with a group of women who believe he has the power to heal others.

episode image You Can't Go Home Again
8.2/10 (2633 votes)

#24 You Can't Go Home Again

S1:E5

When Lt. Kara Thrace goes missing in action after encountering a Cylon patrol while on a training mission, Commander Adama feels responsible — especially in light of her recent admission that she blames herself for his son Zak's death.

episode image Scattered
8.2/10 (2200 votes)

#25 Scattered

S2:E1

With Adama out of action, Colonel Tigh takes his position as commander of the Galactica. Boomer is in jail, and the cat's out of the bag - she's a Cylon.

episode image Flight of the Phoenix
8.2/10 (2095 votes)

#26 Flight of the Phoenix

S2:E9

Sharon informs Adama that the Galatica has been infected with a computer virus that is tampering with the basic ship functions and is scanning them for weaknesses. All this is preparation for a major assault by the Cylon Raiders. So with the clock ticking, Commander Adama must pull himself together and decide: Can he trust Sharon?

episode image Occupation
8.2/10 (2324 votes)

#27 Occupation

S3:E1

Tigh, Tyrol and Anders lead the Resistance on New Caprica to increasingly deadly attacks against the Cylons. Kara finds herself trapped in a new life with Leoben Conoy, and Duck makes a fateful decision. Meanwhile on Galactica, Adama struggles with the question of whether to return to New Caprica to mount a rescue attempt.

episode image Precipice
8.2/10 (2110 votes)

#28 Precipice

S3:E2

Adama plans to return to New Caprica and drop off a surprising person to act as a liaison between Galactica and the Resistance. Tigh's insistence on the use of suicide bombers and ever escalating violence stuns even the fellow leaders of the Resistance. Eventually, the suicide bombings cause the Cylon occupiers to crackdown on their human subjects.

episode image Rapture
8.2/10 (1917 votes)

#29 Rapture

S3:E12

D'Anna/Number Three squares off against Adama over the Temple of the Five. Athena asks for Helo's aid in her plan to rescue Hera. On the algae planet, Apollo orders Dee to leave her defended position in order to save Kara. Anders helps Apollo to hold off the Cylon Centurion attack. Another copy of D'Anna finds the Temple and continues her search for the identities of the Final Five. Her messianic complex begins to concern the other Cylons.

episode image Someone to Watch Over Me
8.2/10 (1882 votes)

#30 Someone to Watch Over Me

S4:E17

Kara feels lost while she struggles to cope with Sam's continued coma, meanwhile Boomer faces charges of treason from the Cylons onboard the base ship who blame her for voting against her model during the civil war causing the deaths of thousands of Cylons.

episode image Exodus (1)
8.1/10 (2097 votes)

#31 Exodus (1)

S3:E3

Sharon helps the Resistance on New Caprica as Adama leads Galactica on a dangerous rescue operation. Tyrol races to save Cally from the execution squad. Meanwhile Anders uncovers treachery among the humans. Number Three meets the Oracle Selloi after having strange dreams about the temple.

episode image Collaborators
8.1/10 (2008 votes)

#32 Collaborators

S3:E5

Tyrol participates in the Circle, a secret tribunal on Galactica that tries and convicts in absentia those accused of collaborating with the Cylons during the Occupation. The death sentences--administered without the knowledge of Roslin or Adama--begin to weigh on Tyrol's conscience. Baltar faces a similar jury among the Cylons, who must decide whether he is allowed to stay with them.

episode image The Eye of Jupiter
8.1/10 (1907 votes)

#33 The Eye of Jupiter

S3:E11

Tyrol discovers the Temple of Five on the algae planet. The temple may hold the Eye of Jupiter, which is believed to show the way to Earth. The Cylons take a keen interest in the discovery. Athena learns that her baby, Hera, may still be alive. Lee relies on Anders to help build civilian support for the protection of the Eye. His relationship with Kara complicates matters.

episode image Flesh and Bone
8.0/10 (2381 votes)

#34 Flesh and Bone

S1:E8

A Cylon, who calls himself Leoben, is discovered on one of the ships in the fleet. Commander Adama sends Kara to interrogate him — or, rather, it. The Cylon tells Kara that he planted a nuclear device on one of the ships. Although she doesn't believe it, Kara passes on the warning.

episode image Resistance
8.0/10 (2073 votes)

#35 Resistance

S2:E4

Tigh imposes martial law and threatens to split the fleet as Lee works to free President Roslin and organize democratic resistance.

episode image Home (1)
8.0/10 (2078 votes)

#36 Home (1)

S2:E6

President Roslin's fragile coalition is put to the test in the first part of a two-part story. Apollo, who has sided with Roslin, runs into a conflict with Zarek and his accomplice Meier.

episode image Lay Down Your Burdens (1)
8.0/10 (1981 votes)

#37 Lay Down Your Burdens (1)

S2:E19

Chief Tyrol is plagued by terrifying dreams and seeks the aid of a priest. Kara leads a rescue mission to Caprica. Roslin and Baltar go head-to-head in a presidential debate that changes dramatically with the discovery of a habitable planet.

episode image Faith
8.0/10 (1762 votes)

#38 Faith

S4:E6

The dying President Roslin and the aggressive Viper pilot Kara Thrace try to accept the new terms of the relationship with the Cylons.

episode image Valley of Darkness
7.9/10 (2160 votes)

#39 Valley of Darkness

S2:E2

Tigh has to work with Lee to defeat a Cylon boarding party that threatens to take over Galactica and destroy the fleet.

episode image Fragged
7.9/10 (2100 votes)

#40 Fragged

S2:E3

Democracy is brought back to the fleet and soon with it come hardball politics and potentially deadly intrigue.

Cast & Chracters

character image William Adama

William Adama

Actor: Edward James Olmos
character image Laura Roslin

Laura Roslin

Actor: Mary McDonnell
character image Lee 'Apollo' Adama

Lee 'Apollo' Adama

Actor: Jamie Bamber
character image Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace

Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace

Actor: Katee Sackhoff
character image Gaius Baltar

Gaius Baltar

Actor: James Callis
character image Number Six

Number Six

Actor: Tricia Helfer
character image Karl 'Helo' Agathon

Karl 'Helo' Agathon

Actor: Tahmoh Penikett
character image Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii

Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii

Actor: Grace Park
character image Saul Tigh

Saul Tigh

Actor: Michael Hogan
character image Galen Tyrol

Galen Tyrol

Actor: Aaron Douglas

The highest rated episode of Battlestar Galactica is "Crossroads (2)" (S3E20) with a rating of 9.20.

This episode received 3,097 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Black Market" (S2E14) with a rating of 6.40.

This episode received 2,284 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Kobol's Last Gleaming (2)" (S1E13) with a rating of 8.80.

This episode received 2,458 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down" (S1E9) with a rating of 7.50.

This episode received 2,351 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Pegasus" (S2E10) with a rating of 9.00.

This episode received 2,621 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Black Market" (S2E14) with a rating of 6.40.

This episode received 2,284 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Crossroads (2)" (S3E20) with a rating of 9.20.

This episode received 3,097 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "The Woman King" (S3E14) with a rating of 7.00.

This episode received 1,975 votes.

The highest rated episode is "Revelations" (S4E10) with a rating of 9.10.

This episode received 2,254 votes.


The lowest rated episode is "Escape Velocity" (S4E4) with a rating of 7.40.

This episode received 1,720 votes.

Name Department Job
Doug McLean Art Art Direction
Jonathan Lancaster Art Set Decoration
Richard Hudolin Art Production Design
Curt Griebel Camera Key Grip
Tim Spencer Camera Camera Operator
Glenne Campbell Costume & Make-Up Costume Design
Ryan Mottesheard Directing Script Coordinator
Jeff Trebenski Lighting Gaffer
David Eick Production Executive Producer
Harvey Frand Production Producer
Kent Sponagle Production Location Manager
Michael Taylor Production Co-Executive Producer
Ronald D. Moore Production Executive Producer
Toni Graphia Production Executive Producer
Bear McCreary Sound Original Music Composer
Daniel Colman Sound Sound Designer
Greg Hewett Sound Boom Operator
Gary Hutzel Visual Effects Visual Effects Supervisor
Carla Robinson Writing Writer

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