The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS of "Battlestar Galactica."

The very idea of a re-imagined “Battlestar Galactica” was enough to split the fan base of the original 1970s series in half: those who are happy with the new Ronald D. Moore series, and those who see it as one of the greatest travesties of modern television.

But forgetting the debate that exists over the intrinsic worth of the series for just a moment, one can’t help but have respect for Moore himself. By taking a hugely popular, if not dated, sci-fi series and trying to re-invent it for the modern day, he has attempted a concept which has been tried time and time again, and it’s something which is always met with mixed results.

“Galactica” is not exempt from that pattern, and thus the series has provided a bit of a hit and miss season, often providing nothing more than an hour of dialogue, shiny special effects set to make the eyes dazzle with a few glimmers of character development. But that is the misses. Hits on the other hand are nothing short of brilliantly executed drama with top-notch acting.

“Six Degrees of Separation” can only be counted as a hit, and is among television’s greatest episodes, such as “Phase One” from “Alias” and “You’re Welcome” from “Angel.” And like those episodes, “Six Degrees of Separation” is an astounding twist in the developing story, turning everything upside down, shaking it about and then re-building it again as something new and even more exciting than what went before. “Phase One” saw the entire premise of “Alias” taken down and realigned, whilst “You’re Welcome” saw Angel (David Boreanaz) head back into the path which was the original premise of the show.

So what changes in “Battlestar Galactica”? For the first time since the original first part of the miniseries, Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) finds himself without the troublesome, and somewhat sensual, presence of Number Six (Tricia Helfer), forcing him to rely on his own wits, and the personal alliances he has made over the last seven episodes. The process of his descension into near madness was well timed, and as always, Callis himself proves he can make the role his own within minutes of screen time. Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck) also has this ability, and although her role this week was still a little refined, it was a vital piece of character development. The near absence of the character last week (due to her recovery after her ordeal in “You Can’t Go Home Again”) perhaps done a lot more for the show than anyone could have expected. This isn’t Star Trek - illnesses and injuries can’t be cured by a hypospray or by waving a couple of lights over the patient. Recovery takes a lot of time and a lot of effort.

But not all absences are a blessing. Last week’s non-appearance of Apollo (Jamie Bamber) wasn’t even mentioned, although it is very possible that it had something to do with the new hairdo which the actor was sporting in this episode. Its nice that you can take a day off from trying to safeguard what’s left of your civilisation to get a haircut, don’t you think? But still, his presence was a welcome one.

As Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) and Boomer (Grace Park) discussed the Cylon ship from last week, you couldn’t help but feel sorry for the chief — his ex is so obviously a Cylon agent and he is just too stupid enough to see it. Although you do get the inkling that his suspicions have been raised. There wasn’t much elaboration on the events however, but its doubtless that they will be back in awe-inspiring significance.

Also deserving notice was the scene involving Baltar and Lt. Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) talking in the toilet cubicles, which was a strangely humorous one (the “no more Mr. Nice Gaius” line alone made it a comical masterpiece) and it finally answered a question, which to the best of my knowledge, has never been tackled on space-faring shows — what do people on spaceships do when they need the toilet?

“Six Degrees of Separation” however lacked the food for thought which has been present in many of the other episodes (although the Number Six-centered discussions on God came very close), and again goes for the "character of the week" approach with the usual anti-climactic Cylon-Occupied Caprica scenes. This fact alone might even suggest that it’s the various traits of the characters that determines the standard of the episode rather than the actual writing. Regardless of the reason behind the episode’s quality, like “Bastille Day” and “You Can’t Go Home Again,” the story is nothing less than captivating, and is among the exclusive ranks those television episodes you can’t pass up the opportunity to watch no matter how many times you have seen them.

Some fans don’t know what they are missing!

Alan Stanley Blair is a writer for SyFy Portal, contributing from his home country of Scotland. He can be reached at ablair@syfyportal.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: "Battlestar Galactica" currently is airing in the United Kingdom on Sky One, as part of that satellite company’s agreement with Sci-Fi Channel to produce the series. It premieres in the United States on the Sci-Fi Channel, and in Canada on Space in January.

Six Degrees of Separation

Battlestar Galactica

Grade: B+