When the dying sun of Paradis dramatically begins its contraction phase, a two year stay by the Galacticans and the colonials on what appears to be the perfect planet for rebuilding their civilization comes to an abrupt end—the planet's inhabitants are forced to make a hurried exit back into space. Discovering that several of their refurbished ships are incapable of deep-space travel, the fleet returns to Paradis for repairs—just in time for the sudden catastrophic destruction of the entire planet. When it becomes clear that the Cylons are responsible, Apollo, Tigh, and Athena make the painful decision to leave one-third of the fleet behind in order to save the rest.