Downloaded - S2-E18
Continuity mistake: As Sharon shouts at Six, she is holding a photo frame in her right hand, waving it about slightly. But the moment she is about to throw the frame, it's instantly in her left hand and she passes it into her right to throw it. (00:14:40)
Epiphanies - S2-E13
Continuity mistake: Episode 2-13, 'Epiphanies': When Baltar is led by the wrist along a corridor by Number Six, two crewmen pass Baltar on his left, headed the other way. The shot from behind Baltar places the crewmen immediately to Baltar's left when the shot is cut to a shot looking in the opposite direction as Baltar approaches the camera and the crewmen are now far behind Baltar, instantly. He is speaking continuously before and after this shot change, so there is no 'time passage' between the shots.
Continuity mistake: After Starbuck's cover as the mechanic is blown, she reaches into her tool box and grabs some guns. She has her hat pulled down over her face, but a second later when she spins around, the hat disappears and is never seen again. (00:26:30)
Continuity mistake: When the President is lying on the couch, she starts coughing and covers her mouth with her right hand, however, as Adama hands over a glass of water she is now covering her mouth with her left hand.
Lay Down Your Burdens (1) - S2-E19
Continuity mistake: When the President is getting ready for her speech there is a pencil lying on the table in front of Adama. When it cuts to the President picking it up it has changed position on the table.
Downloaded - S2-E18
Continuity mistake: When Sharon throws the picture frame at the wall and Six's face is cut, the camera angle quickly changes a few times showing Six alternately from the front and rear. But with each angle change, the location and position of her right hand is wildly different. Palm facing toward her face, then away from it, then closed fist with fingers near her cheek, then immediately arm down at her side, then back to fist at her cheek. (00:15:05)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Baltar and the President are talking aboard Colonial 1, the tea pot changes from shot to shot. In one shot it points away from the President and in the next it points towards her. Neither of them picks it up to move it. (00:25:00)
Continuity mistake: When the box of explosive rounds is opened, the six rounds keep changing position. Sometimes they are nearly laid on a row, whilst in other shots they appear scattered randomly in the box.
Home: Part 2 - S2-E7
Continuity mistake: Lee Adama is a captain, and is addressed as captain, yet he wears the rank insignia of a major on his collar - three chevrons rather than two. This is obvious without pausing when he meets his father in the woods midway through the episode as there is a revealing closeup. (Note: timecode is from the Blu-Ray release). (00:22:30)
Answer: The original BSG has something of a complex version history. Several versions exist, but the rationale behind what you're referring to is as follows. BSG, before anything else, was a TV series - the 'pilot episode' was a three-part tale called "Saga of a Star World". In that three-parter, a last-minute alteration to the script meant that Baltar was ultimately spared execution, because Glen A. Larson, the series producer, decided that he liked the Baltar character enough to keep him around for the rest of the series. The theatrical version, which was edited down from the three-parter and was shown in some countries before the US TV broadcast, lost quite a number of scenes, including the one where Baltar is spared. The real continuity of the series can only be found in the TV version - the movies, all of which were created by editing together existing episodes, miss out scenes leading to such apparent continuity errors.
Tailkinker ★