Editing Battlestar Galactica 0

{{separate continuity|universe=RDM|cont=Dynamite Comics}}

:''This official comic book uses the characters, situations, and events of the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] between the events in "[[Home, Part II]]" and "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]". However, this comic book series is considered a '''separate continuity''' to the aired series. Comments and information to this article should reflect only aired content before the episode, "Pegasus".''

{{Comic Data
| image = BSG Comic 0 McNiven.jpg
| title=Issue 0
| series=[[Dynamite Comics|Dynamite]] first
| issueno=0
| episode=Between "[[Home, Part II]]" &amp; "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]"
| writer=[[Greg Pak]]
| penciller=[[Nigel Raynor]]
| inker=[[Nigel Raynor]]
| colorist=[[David Curiel]]
| letterer=[[Simon Bowland]]
| editor=
| cover=[[Steve McNiven]]
| published=May 2006
| collects=
| collected=[[Battlestar Galactica Volume I]]
| reprints=
| reprinted=
| isbn=
| population=47853
| oldpopulation=47853
| prev=None
| next=[[Battlestar Galactica 1]]
}}

== Plot ==
:''"Battlestar ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'' discovers a group of human survivors in a small [[Medivac 12|Medivac ship]] under attack by [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]. [[William Adama|Adama]] suspects a Cylon plot. But [[Roslin]] points to the [[Sacred Scrolls (alternate)|Sacred Scrolls]], which contain an ancient prophecy: 'The dead shall return in an ark of fire.' Who are the "[[Returners]]?" Will they unite or divide the fleet&mdash;and heal or break the heart of Commander Adama?"'' -Greg Pak <ref>Forum post at [http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=62040 Newsarama forums]</ref>

==Summary==
*Commander William Adama, despite [[Home, Part II|mending fences]] with President Roslin, appears to have problems in reconciling the actions of {{callsign|Starbuck}} and his son, {{callsign|Lee Adama}} during the factioning of the Fleet.
*Commander Adama has created a book of journal entries to his late son, [[Zak Adama (alternate)|Zak Adama]], apparently to help him cope with his feelings about his family in its past turmoil. He recounts Thrace's actions in the book as if she were his daughter.
*From an external window, Commander Adama shows President Roslin a battlefield of years past, when the Colonies declared wars between each other, and before the [[Articles of Colonization]] established the [[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Twelve Colonies]] under a unified government over 60 years prior. He points out an older [[Viper (RDM)|Viper model]] as well as a ship he called a "Sagittarian [[Warbird]]."
*[[CIC]] receives a distress call from an old [[medivac]] ship, its hull containing numerous fires that are venting into space, in the old battlefield. The call claims to have been boarded by a group of [[Cylon Centurion]]s.
*Adama immediately suspects this call is bait for a Cylon ambush. Roslin notes a verse from the [[Sacred Scrolls (alternate)|Sacred Scrolls]] about the dead returning in an "ark of fire."
*Starbuck requests, and Adama reluctantly accepts, her request to board the medivac ship to investigate. She wears a [[wireless]] headset to allow her to communicate with the CIC hands-free.
*Starbuck immediately encounters Cylon resistance. She returns fire, taking down Cylons while demanding the names of each and every survivor on the ship.
*[[Billy Keikeya]] and a large group of people run through printed and computerized ships' records on ''[[Colonial One]]'' for each survivor. They discover that ''every name'' that Starbuck has read is a person that had died relatively recently (before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]) or years before.
*Adama orders Starbuck to return to ''Galactica'', but she plows through the last of Cylon resistance to enter the ship's cockpit. To the commander's shock (from hearing over Starbuck's comm link), Thrace encounters an apparently ''living'' Zak Adama in the cockpit--a man dead and buried long ago {{TRS|Act of Contrition}} on Caprica.

==Questions==

*Are these are the actual original bodies of the dead from the past? ([[Battlestar Galactica 3|Answer]])

*The Cylons (using [[humanoid Cylon]]s as an example) are highly skilled in genetic manupulation. How, however, can they glean the personality (including nuances such as nicknames) of a dead human? Wouldn't the neurons of the dead brain cells be too far dessicated for information retrieval?

*What was the "[[Third Colonial Conflict]]" noted by Commander Adama? Would it be similar to the real-Earth series of [[Wikipedia:World War II|World Wars]]?

*Commander Adama (in the aired events of "[[Home, Part II]]") appears to be ''very'' happy to see {{callsign|Starbuck}} and {{callsign|Lee Adama}}. Why the change in characterization in this comic?

==Analysis==

*A romantic relationship between William Adama and Laura Roslin is hinted at by none other than a civilian child, [[Jenny]], who herself is a possible allusion to the short-lived [[Cami]] from the [[Miniseries]].
*The likenesses of the characters to their actors is barely recognizable, but this is likely due to contractual requirements between the comic, the actors, and NBC/Universal.
*This new comic appears to have taken a few liberties with the aired [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series continuity]] characters and ships.
*One event shows Commander Adama showing the old Colonial battlefield while standing in front of a 20 foot high window. One of the major design elements of the Re-Imagined Series is that ''Galactica'' is obviously a ship designed for war in space:  there are no external windows on the entire ship, except for the one [[observation deck]] which can be covered with retractable armor shutters.  It is likely that the inspiration from this was taken from the {{TOS|Battlestar Galactica|Original Series}}'s [[core command]], which had a large window. 
*The stress of Commander Adama's problem in young Adama's and Thrace's breaking of ranks appeared concluded with "Home, Part II," but the comic changed this to show Adama still ill at ease with the insubordination.
*The notion of allowing a single (and one of ''Galactica'''s most valuable) pilot to fight out an unknown number of Cylon Centurions (which could have been heavily armored such as the ones that board ''Galactica'' in "[[Valley of Darkness]]") seems very contrived at best, and foolhardy at worst. Thrace should have boarded aboard a [[Raptor]] filled with a squadron of [[marines]].
*The Re-imagined Series thrives on [[Naturalistic science fiction|avoiding extraordinarily complicated plots involving unbelievable technology or events]]. Bringing humans (with their memories apparently intact) back from the dead seems quite improbable. Further: Each human comes from periods that are decades between each other, and each would have to explain why they ''all'' exist in a future time, having aged little or not at all.
**[[Ron Moore]] has stated in [[Humanoid Cylon#Notes|a webcast interview]] that there are only 12 models of [[humanoid Cylon]], and that none of the 12 is a copy of a pre-existing human; rather, they represent what the Cylons think are the 12 basic archetypes of human personality.
**Moore has intimated that if the Cylons were ever to make ''additional'' human-like models, it would be considered a controversial move by the Cylons themselves, and at the least, a major story arc for an episode would have to be devoted to revealing it{{Citation needed}}.

==Notes==
*The initial print run was set at 175,000 books to meet with initial demand, prompted by the special pricing ($0.25 USD as compared to $2.99 USD) as well as promotion by [[SciFi Channel]] and other vendors.<ref>{{cite_news|first=Arune|last=Singh|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7321 |title="BATTLESTAR GALACTICA" #0 SELLS DYNAMITE FOR DYNAMITE!|publisher=Comic Book Resources|page=|date=12 May 2006|accessdate=29 January 2008|language=}}</ref>
*The population at the end of "[[Home, Part II]]" is 47,853. No "in comic" deaths occur.
*In several panels, almost all the sheets of paper have squared edges.

===Note on Canonicity===

"Battlestar Wiki" considers this comic book storyline to be separate from the continuity of the Re-imagined Series.  Given the liberties the comics take with the places and events, "Battlestar Wiki" [[Battlestar Wiki:Official Communiques/Archive1#Tie-in Material|asked]] writer [[Bradley Thompson]] if the comics are canonical. Thompson answered:

:"The comics group runs their proposed stories by some of the series writing staff to make sure they are not stepping on the toes of upcoming episodes. Apart from that, the series writers currently have no input to the comic or novel tie-ins."

As such, the comics writers do not confer regularly with the television series writing staff, other than to make sure they do not kill off major recurring characters, or change major plot points.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''[[Jenny]] asks [[Laura Roslin]] about her relationship with [[William Adama]]:''
: '''Laura Roslin:''' Any other questions?
: '''Jenny:''' Yeah. Is Commander Adama your boyfriend?
: '''Roslin:''' Well, Jenny, he's a '''boy''' and he's my '''friend''', but he's not my '''boyfriend'''.

== Alternate covers ==

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:BSG0McNivenCov.jpg|[[Steve McNiven]] cover.
File:BSG0PhotoCover.jpg|Photo cover featuring [[Number Six]].
</gallery>

== External links ==

* [http://dynamiteentertainment.com/htmlfiles/p-C104731.html ''Battlestar Galactica 0'' - Regular Edition] from Dynamite Entertainment
* [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=2159&disp=table FULL ISSUE: New ''Battlestar Galactica'' #0], Comic Book Resources, March 2, 2009

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{comic list|series=RDM}}

{{DEFAULTSORT: Battlestar Galactica 00}}

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