Lampkin quotes from Battlestar Galactica (2003)

Baltar

Caprica Six. I'm worried about her. She's the key. They can use her to completely destroy me. We need to get to her. We need to know what she's thinking. We need to.. talk to her. Tell her.. Tell her that I love her very much. I am thinking about her a lot.

I can sense that, yes.

You take a good look at this room. Every time you leave, memorize it. If anything changes, don't touch it. A book moves, shoes in a wrong place, something smells different, you get the frak out. Someone knocks, don't answer the door, don't open the door. Look, you have to do what I say.

If they wanna kill me, they'll find a way. Now, who do I have to bribe to see the Cylon woman?

Did he ask about me? Gaius?

[removes his sunglasses] He wanted to know if you're well. He wanted you to know that he misses you.. Loves you. Because he can't be here to tell you, he gave me this, a gift to you. [takes out Baltar's pen and gives it to Six] He uses that at the risk of grave reprisal to express his feelings, to put his world into some kind of recognizable order. To be heard. He's kept it hidden because he knows he will not get another. [Caprica Six takes the pen and caresses it] He wants you to have it. Because without you it has no meaning. He wants you to have it because he would do anything, ANYTHING to be with you again.

Well, that's a shame isn't it? [gives back the pen] Since they'll never let me keep it.

You understand that your days are owned and tallied by those people, the ones out there watching us. [points to the glass] I think you realize what's likely to become of you. I couldn't help you if they paid me ten times what they offered me for Baltar. You won't get a trial. Not even a bad one. So I have to ask you, does your love hurt as much as mine?

It's obvious my client is guilty. He's a traitor. And a killer. He's no better than a Cylon and what do we do with them?

Throw them out the airlock!

That's right! Throw them out the airlock. This man sold us to our enemy. This man is our enemy and if there's one thing that is good in a war, that is right and just and proper: it's slaughtering our enemy! Getting some righteous payback!

Baltar

We need to find something, anything that can discredit her testimony. She's a fanatic, right. I don't know if that's gonna..

[glances at Lee] You're awfully quiet.

Lee

Just listening.

You see, your problem is that I'm a really good liar and you're not. So let's have it.

Lee

Have what?

Baltar

My gods he's right, you do know something. You know something and you're not saying.

Lee

It's probably not even true.

I like it already.

Why do you believe that the defendant, Gaius Baltar, deserves to be acquitted?

Lee

Well, because the evidence does not support the charges.

Come on...

Lee

Did the defendant make mistakes? Sure he did, serious mistakes, but did he actually commit any crimes? Did he commit treason? No. It was an impossible situation. When the Cylons arrived what could he possibly do? What could anyone have done? I mean, ask yourself, what would you have done? What would you have done? If he had refused to surrender, the Cylons would've probably nuked the planet, right then and there. So did he appear to co-operate with the Cylons? Sure, so did hundreds of others. What's the difference between him and them? The President issued a blanket pardon. They were all forgiven, no questions asked. Colonel Tigh? Colonel Tigh used suicide bombers, killed dozens of people, forgiven. Lieutenant Agathon and chief Tyrol murdered an officer on the Pegasus, forgiven. The admiral? The admiral instituted a military coup d'etat against the President, forgiven. And me? Well, where do I begin? I shot down a civilian passenger ship, the Olympic Carrier, over a thousand people on board, forgiven. I raised my weapon to a superior officer, committed an act of mutiny, forgiven. And then on the very day when Baltar surrendered to those Cylons, I, as commander of Pegasus, jumped away! I left everybody on that planet, alone, undefended for months. I even tried to persuade the admiral never to return, to abandon you all there for good. If I'd had my way nobody would have made it off that planet. I'm the coward, I'm the traitor, I'm forgiven. I'd say we're very forgiving of mistakes. We make our own laws now, our own justice, and we've been pretty creative with ways to let people off the hook. For everything from theft to murder. And we've had to be, because we're not a civilization anymore, we are a gang, and we're on the run, and we have to fight to survive. We have to break rules, we have to bend laws, we have to improvise! But not this time, no, not this time, not for Gaius Baltar. No, you, you have to die! You have to die, because, well, because we don't like you very much. Because you're arrogant, because you're weak, because you're a coward, and we, the mob, want to throw you out the airlock because you didn't stand up to the Cylons and get yourself killed in the process! That's justice now! You should've been killed back on New Caprica, but since you had the temerity to live, we're going to execute you now. That's justice!

Order, order!

Lee

This case, this case is built on emotion, on anger, bitterness, but most of all it's built on shame. It's about the shame of what we did to ourselves back on that planet. It's about the guilt of those of us who ran away, who ran away. And we are trying to dump all of that guilt and all that shame onto one man, and then flush him out the airlock, and just hope that that gets rid of it all. So that we can live with ourselves. But that won't work. That won't work. That's not justice, not to me. Not to me.

No further questions.

Lee

Romo, one thing. When you put me on the stand, did you know what was gonna happen?

[Stops walking] I knew you were an honest man, Mister Adama. Much unlike your grandfather. [Leaves his cane, puts on his sunglasses, smiles and walks away without any limp]

Lee said you once gave him something before a mission, a lighter.

Adama

Belonged to my father. Foolish to think a hunk of metal could keep him safe.

And yet that's what we do isn't it. Hang onto hope in every hopelessly irrational way that we can, but not like those poor bastards, giving away their luck just when they need it most. Its like they've given up.

Adama

If you've never been in combat you have no idea what they are thinking.

I always imagined you a realist, Admiral. Not one to indulge a vain hope at the cost of lives, but then everyone has his limits. Sine qua non as they say.

Adama

Without which not.

Yes, those things we deem essential, without which we cannot bear living. Without which life in general loses its specific value. Becomes, abstract.

Adama

You may have a point counselor.

Well, while I'm on a roll, Tom Zarek may not be an ideal president, but we could do worse.

Adama

You're right, there are limits to my realism. Goodbye counselor.