The whole scene would have made much more sense if they had used the TF which was a 2-seater from the start. However, if you assume the 2-seated Viper had already been in service at the time of BSG the scene also would not have made much sense since Apollo was referring to HIS Viper which clearly was a single seater. They should have rather gone with Adama's proposal to take a shuttle (which would also provide a means of transferring injured people and refugees from the surface) and have Apollo lead a Viper squad for protection.
How Carillon could explode at the end of the episode due to some local arson is another thing which is veeeeery far fetched. If you think about it the planet would have been gone long before the Colonials arrived. Yaknow, desert planet, low humidity, there must have been sand storms causing lighting and fires on occasion which would have doomed the planet's fate instantly. And of course the planet would have been much smaller than it seemed and consist only of mining caves which in essence would have turned it into a Swiss cheese. Too many weird things going on.... Ah well, let's avoid thinking about it. Did I mention how much I like the laser sounds during the space fights - Uh, oh.....!

How Carillon could explode at the end of the episode due to some local arson is another thing which is veeeeery far fetched. If you think about it the planet would have been gone long before the Colonials arrived. Yaknow, desert planet, low humidity, there must have been sand storms causing lighting and fires on occasion which would have doomed the planet's fate instantly. And of course the planet would have been much smaller than it seemed and consist only of mining caves which in essence would have turned it into a Swiss cheese. Too many weird things going on.... Ah well, let's avoid thinking about it. Did I mention how much I like the laser sounds during the space fights - Uh, oh.....!



