Battlestar Galactica Props & Costumes » Things on Paper

New Caprica Police Academy graduation certificate

Joe Beaudoin Jr. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:35:12 +0000

In the ending scenes of the third season opener, “Occupation“, Tucker “Duck” Clellan and James “Jammer” Lyman are about to become full-fledged members of the New Caprica Police force set up by the Cylon Occupation Authority. As they are handed their diplomas at the graduation ceremony, Clellan detonates his suicide bomb. In the following scenes, half-burnt and distressed diplomas can be seen floating around landing on the dead bodies at the ceremony, thus ending the episode.

An award, shown from the back, landing on the debris in the aftermath of Clellan's suicide bombing.

As usual, we are the first to show you what those diplomas look like in crystal-clear detail.

A high quality view of a distressed New Caprica Police Academy award certificate.

Crashdown’s notepad

Joe Beaudoin Jr. — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:34:01 +0000

After crashing on Kobol, Lieutenant Alex “Crashdown” Quartararo finds himself in charge of the survivors of Raptor 1. As he and the survivors attempt to survive their pursuers, they discover that the Cylons later abandon their pursuit in favor of setting up anti-aircraft batteries, which can be used to take down any ship attempting to rescue them.

As a result, Crashdown decides to attack these emplacements, so that any rescue attempt from Galactica can be successful. In planning it, he uses a technique taught during basic training called the “five-’graph order”, which he outlines on a notepad and presents to the survivors, who will be the ones executing his attack plan.

Despite the by-the-book planning, the attack does not end well, particularly when Crashdown has to threaten people at gunpoint so that it may be executed.

Crashdown reviews his "five-'graph" plan to attack the Cylon anti-aircraft weapon in "Fragged".

A page from Crashdown's notepad.

Colonial Raptor flight manual

Joe Beaudoin Jr. — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:06:21 +0000

Here’s a pretty cool prop that you’ve never seen on screen, or at least up close—or in whole. It’s a Colonial Raptor flight manual that was created in the Miniseries. Below is a photo of the cover for the small handbook.

And for the more astute fan, you’ll note that after the attack in the Miniseries, Boomer asks Helo to tear pages from her flight manual. This is the untorn version, obviously.

The Colonial Raptor flight manual's front page.

Prescription Pads

Joe Beaudoin Jr. — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:12:29 +0000

In the Season 3 episode, “The Woman King“, Doctor Michael Robert is introduced a civilian doctor who—as it turns out later—murders Sagittarons due to his hatred of them. As a then-practicing doctor in Dogsville, he has access to the medicine dispensary, and as such can write out prescriptions. Pictured below is a never-before-seen prescription pad carried by Doctor Robert.

Reference photo of a prescription pad from Michael Robert.

“Weapons Locker 1701D” note

Joe Beaudoin Jr. — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:01:38 +0000

In Season 4′s “The Ties That Bind“, Cally Tyrol—who is already suspicious of her husband, believing that he’s being unfaithful to her—discovers a note in the maildrop cubby of their quarters. This note, left by Colonel Tigh, notes a time and place for a meeting. However, Chief Tyrol doesn’t get it, as Tory Foster tells him of the meeting.

Believing that this is a rendezvous for her cheating husband, she goes to 1701D, finds a crawlspace and listens in on their conversation. Learning the truth about her husband, she returns to their quarters where she violently accosts her husband, takes his keys, and decides to take their baby, Nicky, with her. This ultimately leads to her own death, which causes Chief Tyrol’s life to sprawl out of control—from not replacing burnt relays, an admission about Cally’s hygiene during a verbal sparring session with the Old Man about clubs and things of that nature, a demotion, and being outed as a Cylon.

The hero version that is played on screen in "The Ties That Bind".

The interesting thing about the note, aside from the wholly unnecessary, corny Star Trek reference, is that the props department came up with two additional versions of this note as well.

Variant #1: "Meet at..." note. Just a bit more verbage.

Variant #2: Terse. Very terse.