“Yesterday’s” Comic> Battlestar Galactica (Realm Press) #4

“Change your oil, mister?”

Battlestar Galactica #4

Realm Press (June, 1998)

The Somnians make their way on board the Galactica. However, another presence makes its way into Adama, revealing the truth to Apollo and Athena, who have escaped mind control as have Boxey and Muffet. The Somnians use human souls as a way to enter our universe. As Starbuck and Boomer, also not under Somnian control head to the prison barge to regretfully save Baltar and the Cylons continue their pursuit, Apollo sacrifices himself to protect Boxey and ends up in the Somnian’s dimension, where his good human spirit destroys the Somnians he comes across.

There’s also the first part of a backup story not set in the BSG universe by Robert Scott called “The Broken World” but I have no idea what’s going on so I won’t be reviewing it.

What they got right: I don’t know how scary this story would be to most people but again the art does help with the atmosphere even if I’m not a fan of the style usually. As cheesy as “Apollo’s good spirit destroys the evil monsters” is, I think it’s in keeping with the spiritual nature of the original series. This wouldn’t work at all if set in the new series, but neither would the Somnians.

What they got wrong: So it is Apollo’s spirit that the Somnians don’t like or does something change if a human enters their universe? Before Apollo and Athena were protected by Adama’s “roommate” and Boxey and Muffet just got lucky when the Somnians, a parasite-like race, were capturing humans. So how did Apollo’s spirit destroy Somnians in their universe but not ours? This is never explained. It might have been interesting to have the Somnians endangered by human souls and thus needing a soulless host like the Cylons. That might have led to a rather interesting story.

Recommendation: Minor issue, though. I’m still into this story and I’m curious to see where it ends.

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