What an excellent welcome back to Battlestar Galactica.

In about five seconds, I was completely drawn in and unable to multi-task. Normally, when I’m watching TV, I’m on the laptop, too, blogging or reading e-mail or somesuch.

But I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen (helped that I had a screener copy and so didn’t have commercial interruptions). So I had to watch a second time to jot down my thoughts as the episode went along; I can’t even pretend that I didn’t use the knowledge I had from the first viewing in taking notes during the second.

This is the overarching feeling I had the entire episode, even as I railed against President Roslin and others for not believing in Starbuck:

Can you blame them for not believing?

But before we get to Starbuck, even though the episode, started and ended with her and pretty much had her all in the middle, I ponder this:

How did the Cylons find the fleet? Did they find it because of Kara? Did they find it because of the nebula? Did they find it because of the four hidden Cylons? Were the four activated because the Cylon fleet came and their presence was the only thing that could keep the fleet from being destroyed?

The nebula is obviously a big trigger. It’s where Kara comes back; it’s where the four hidden Cylons “find” themselves; it’s where the Cylon fleet busts out. Is the same thing that brought the Cylons there the thing that triggered the four’s awareness of themselves?

Oh, and the special effects of that fight scene were astoundingly amazing, weren’t they? Is this really basic cable?

The Cylon fighter scanning Anders was freaky. All it had to do was recognize him as a Cylon and it all ended. It’s easy to forget, even, that the Cylons aren’t completely mechanical. Witness the huge splash of blood (or whatever that is) on Kara’s viper when she shot the raider down.

And a mere 39,698 survivors. A lot of humans have died since the series began.

So, how ‘bout that Starbuck?

The shot of Lee and Kara in their vipers, an eerie silence as they stared at one another, was amazing. Her ship was just too amazingly clean. Almost sparkly white. A closeup of Lee’s ship before Kara’s is an amazing contrast.

It’s apparent from the moment Kara arrives on the Galactica that she has no idea why everyone’s staring at her. Of course Lee is the first one to come running to hug her.

Tigh and Adama don’t believe she’s her, or, at least, that she’s human, but for differing reasons.

She realizes almost immediately that they believe she’s a Cylon or, at least, a Cylon trick.

Roslin’s having nothing of Kara being human. She has absolutely no faith whatsoever that Kara is not a trick. But in telling her story, even Kara recognizes how it sounds. But she just knows that she saw what she saw. She saw Saturn!

Turns out the ship should be the same one Kara went out on, but the chief points out that there’s not a ding or a scratch on it, so there’s no way it could be. And the nav computer has no data in it and so there’s no record of where it’s been.

Naturally, Lee is Kara’s defender.

Tigh points out that there’s no foolproof way to ensure that Starbuck isn’t a Cylon. After all, the Baltar’s Cylon detector failed to ID Boomer. Um, guess no one knows, still, that Baltar lied. I guess, really, it’s that even after all he’s done, no one would even imagine that Baltar would have lied about that.

And Tigh and Tory are practically mute for fear they might say something that will give them away.

Aha. Lee’s question of Roslin is the point of everything. How do you know which clues you’re reading right and which ones will lead to a trap?

What if Kara was the clue that we were supposed to find?

Gaeta has no faith in Starbuck. But he’s someone who should have, perhaps, learned lessons about that after the occupation of New Caprica ended. Wasn’t it just not that long ago that he almost was killed for collaborating?

Why does Starbuck’s brain hurt every time they jump? She is connected to Earth in some way. Maybe she is the final Cylon.

How long will this be the mantra?

We’re going the wrong way.

Adm. Adama really should trust Kara’s feelings. He’s known Kara way longer than Roslin has. Have some faith in her, old man! Or is he right?

Kara is disturbed by the fact that her ship is new; she knows that she’d have trouble believing her if she wasn’t her. But she needs Adama to believe her. To believe IN her.

It’s heartbreaking. But is Adama right? We want to assume Starbuck is right, but is she?

Now Starbuck, who has those Marines following her at all times, is wondering if she’s a clone; if the Cylons snagged her genetic material when she was on Caprica in that baby farm; if they grew her and implanted her with memories of her life and of Earth. She’s beginning to doubt herself.

And Anders is trying to feel her out. He loves her no matter what, even if she is a Cylon, he tells her. Uh-oh, I guess he’d better not tell Starbuck what he’s learned about himself.

You’re a better person than I. If I found out that you were a Cylon, I would put a bullet between your eyes.

And Anders knows Kara is speaking the truth.

Her head hurts again; they’re still going the wrong way.

Don’t mess with Kara when she is determined to do something. Boom! Even Anders gets pistol-whipped.

That was just a tear gas grenade that Kara tossed, right?

No frakkin’ way Kara’s gonna kill the prez.

Does Kara remember saying, “They’re waiting for me” just before her ship blew up (or didn’t)?

Lee could watch that video over and over and over and over again, seeing her ship burst into a zillion pieces over and over and over and over again and he’ll still believe in Kara.

Look at those empty seats between the Adamas. The chasm between them has grown again.

Lee may have taken his insignia off for the wrong reasons, but putting them back on now would also be for the wrong reasons. His time in leadership has been fraught with too much emotional peril. His time commanding the Pegasus proved to himself that he can’t—or won’t?—do it.

Um, Lee, “Feelers from the government”? Wouldn’t that be Roslin?

And so Lee plays the Zak card. But it’s a good question. If they were to find out Zak was a Cylon, would that change how Bill and Lee felt about him?

OH MY GOD. What if it is Zak who’s the final Cylon? Starbuck had an affair with Zak, remember. But Caprica Six did say the Five were close; if Zak were one of them, where is he? (Honestly, I just thought of it as I was writing this…)

Caprica Six has been the most vulnerable of all the Sixes. She knew she would be imprisoned coming to Galactica with Athena, yet she did anyway.

Here’s the interesting thing: She and the other Cylons have been programmed never to think about the Final Five. Why? What about them is so different and special? They’re not simply sleeper agents like Boomer was. They’re far different.

The Five are close. I can feel them.

Well, we know four of them, at least, and they are pretty dang close. These are four people (in a matter of speaking) who never spent any real time together before. They have to be careful how they interact with each other publicly.

Tigh’s really frakked up, as are the other three newbies. Is his vision of shooting Adama simply a fear or is it programming that he’s fighting hard to control?

All four of them are completely overcompensating for their newfound Cylonness. Chief is usually not so wound up; he’s working to prove (to himself?) that he’s human. Sharon, who everyone knows is a Cylon, is almost more human than Anders at this moment.

Anders is totally freaking out, but the saving grace is that he’d probably be freaking out anyway; it’s his first firefight as a viper jock.

There are way more women than men in this cult of Gaius; not shocking, given his history with women. Why do they avert their eyes? Surely he can’t believe he himself is the one true god?

Baltar’s such a slimeball. He doesn’t even understand that he’s basically a pariah among his people, and can’t even be happy to be among the few people left who believe he’s not a piece of human garbage. To him, he’s now the “king of fools.”

Baltar’s Six has an excellent point. He was about to be executed; he can’t be happy with anything, can he? He always thinks he’s better than any situation he’s in.

“Doomed to live out my life in this looney bin,” indeed.

Side note: Tricia Helfer has got to be one of the most underrated actresses of her generation. She is beyond sexy, beyond threatening and beyond vulnerable. Each Six she portrays has a totally different personality, even though each is still exactly the same. She really is amazing.

This scene of Gaius being seduced by this crazy follower of his is vintage Baltar. I love how his Six has to feed him his lines because he’s so obsessed with sex that he can’t even remember what he’s supposed to be saying.

And here begins the TRUE cult of Gaius. He is now preaching the word of the one true god. There is only one god. Even his Six, who knows him so well, can’t believe he can’t remember that simple truth.

Great exchange, when looney follower No. 637 starts undressing him and then herself and puts Baltar’s hands on her breasts:

LF: Can you feel god’s presence?

Baltar: You know what? I think I do. Do you, too, we both feel … [kiss]

Leave it to Gaius to be suddenly surrounded by a huge crowd while he’s naked as a jaybird, with a little boy put on his lap. Loved his trying to cover himself up.

Baltar’s trying to make sure that everyone knows he prayed for the little boy. He doesn’t want to be metaphorically thrown out of the airlock. His “You know I prayed for him?” reeks — reeks! — of desperation.

OK, Baltar’s basically gone bat-guano crazy. But, when he’s up against the wall, he does occasionally (every once in a verrrrry rare while) do the right thing. And he’s starting to believe in the one true god. This little performance, which for a change is not actually a performance, is cementing his followers’ faith in him. For a change, he’s actually speaking from his heart (because he doesn’t think anyone hears him). And it’s moments like these when you realize how he could have followers.

That creepy woman is taking him to the bathroom. She makes my skin crawl. And, what? They don’t have electric razors or disposables in their futuristic world?

The guy from the hallway has been watching out for when Baltar would leave his cozy nest. He’s being way too nice. Oh, boy, Kevin’s dead, isn’t he? And Baltar’s all believing his own hype.

Oh yeah, Kevin was killed by Baltar’s police. Nice.

This guy is crazed with grief over his son’s death. He wants Baltar to beg, to scream for his life, which his son never got to do. And then Baltar’s Six gives him the out: You said you’d give your life for the boy’s. Did you really mean it?

And Baltar did. He just doesn’t fear death anymore. He might finally be able to do something worthwhile with his life.

And then Baltar’s creepy follower just went bat-guano crazy. Totally bat poopy. Yeah, I guess that would be smiting. Even Gaius can’t really believe it.

Does that little boy recognize what’s happened? The way he’s looking at Baltar is also kinda creepy. Does he know what happened?

OK, creepy follower with the bloody face is going to be a major advisor to Baltar. And a force to be reckoned with. She’s going to be his hammer.

Is it next week yet?

All photos courtesy of NBC Universal.