The miniseries and first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica are retold with more emphasis on the Cylon perspective and their plan to wipe out the human race.

[3] The opening scenes of The Plan occur just prior to the destruction of the Twelve Colonies in the televised miniseries Battlestar Galactica.

Humanoid Cylon John Cavil is shown leading the planning for the genocidal attack on the human race.

Aboard a civilian transport, Cavil torments the half-conscious woman with descriptions of his intent to destroy humanity.

The creation of Galactica's "wall of remembrance" is depicted, where survivors posted pictures and mementos of their dead or missing loved ones.

Back on Cylon-occupied Caprica, Sam Anders and his teammates have fled their training center for safer quarters.

Sam and Jean Barolay later observe several Number Fives burying numerous dead human bodies, realize that Cylons have taken humanoid form, and resolve to attack them.

As she tries to implement her plan, Boomer becomes increasingly distraught because she has fallen in love with Chief Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas).

Cavil becomes angry when the Number Five known as Aaron Doral is exposed as a Cylon, and demands that he attempt to kill Commander Adama.

The Number Two, meanwhile, listens in on Colonial Fleet communications, and becomes convinced that Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) holds some special purpose for the humanoid Cylons.

Meanwhile, the Brother Cavil on the Galactica is bedeviled by the repeated appearance of a young boy named John (Alex Ferris) in his chapel.

Caprica Cavil announces that the Cylons have voted to give the humans "a reprieve" because they have decided that their attempts at genocide were an error.

As they are escorted to the airlock, the Cavils see the Final Five Cylons watching them and admit this wasn't the reunion they had expected.

The film ends with this scene overlaid with John Cavil's fourth-season tirade lamenting his human-like body and desiring to be more like a machine so that he could "see gamma rays, hear x-rays, smell dark matter...and feel the solar wind of a super-nova" flowing over him.

[10] The Plan was announced August 7, 2008 by Syfy as a two-hour Battlestar Galactica "special event" directed and written by series veterans Edward James Olmos and Jane Espenson.

Olmos allegedly wanted the boy to have green hair too, but the studio wouldn't allow it[13] Bear McCreary returned to score The Plan.

It also features an original song "Apocalypse", which debuted at the Battlestar Galactica Orchestra's concerts at ComicCon 2009 – a melody designed as a counterpoint to a variation of the series' Gayatri mantra-Main Title (as performed during the end credits of The Plan).

"[16] Annalee Newitz of io9 was critical of the episode saying it "reveals The Cylons never actually had a plan" and although she was positive about some details that fans would enjoy, she said it was only for completists.