Editing Brendan Costanza

{{Character Data| 
|photo= 4x05 - The Road Less Travelled - Promo 2.jpg
|series=TRS
|birthname= Brendan Costanza
|callsign= Hot Dog
|seen= Act of Contrition
|lastseen=Daybreak, Part II 
|children= [[Nicholas Tyrol]]
|marital status= Single
|role= [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot, [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''{{RDM|Galactica}}''
|rank= Lieutenant, junior grade
|actor= [[Bodie Olmos]]
|serial=304871<ref>This number comes from [[:File:Constanza's dogtag serial.jpg|his dogtags]].</ref>
|sortkey=Costanza, Brendan
}}

Lieutenant '''Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza''' is a Viper pilot on ''Galactica'', and is the only known survivor among the initial batch of [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilots recruited from the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]'s civilians. He initially acts more experienced than he really is, but grows to become one of ''Galactica''{{'|s}} seasoned veteran pilots.

== Biography ==

A washout from the Fleet Academy before the [[Second Cylon War]], Costanza is picked as one of the first Viper pilot trainees recruited from the Fleet after an accident kills 13 pilots. Despite flight instructor {{callsign|Starbuck}} initially failing the entire class, Costanza and the others are reinstated on Commander [[William Adama|Adama]]'s orders and resume flight training.

[[File:HotDog YCGHA.JPG|thumb|left|Costanza after his reckless attempt to save Lieutenant Thrace.]] Costanza demonstrates loyalty, bravery and a degree of recklessness when a group of eight [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] encounter Thrace and her nuggets on a training flight. Defying Thrace's order to return to ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'' at full throttle, Costanza turns around and joins the fight as Thrace's wingman, destroying one Raider before sustaining battle damage to his Viper. This almost gets the young, inexperienced pilot killed and complicates things for Thrace by having to cover a disabled bird, but it improves her odds against the remaining Raiders {{TRS|Act of Contrition}}.

Costanza ejects from his severely damaged Viper and is subsequently rescued by a [[Raptor]] piloted by [[Sharon Valerii]] and {{callsign|Crashdown}}, after which he vomits on the Raptor's deck. A short time later, after briefing Commander Adama, Costanza is led to [[sickbay]], but not before Captain {{callsign|Lee Adama}} removes the flight wings from his own uniform and pins them on Costanza in recognition of bravery in his first combat engagement {{TRS|You Can't Go Home Again}}.

Costanza develops a bond with [[Louanne Katraine]] ("Kat") and [[Donald Perry]] ("Chuckles"), members of his training group {{TRS|Act of Contrition}}.

Costanza takes part in the attack on a Cylon tylium refinery as part of Strike Force One. It appears he assumes command of the group with the death of their flight leader, [[Fireball]] {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}.

He helps defending ''Galactica'' while the battlestar performs lengthy calculations to locate the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] {{TRS|Scattered}}. After returning to ''Galactica'', Costanza survives a brief run in with a [[Cylon Centurion]] that boards the ship. With shipboard systems unreliable, Apollo orders Costanza to personally report the situation to [[CIC]] {{TRS|Valley of Darkness}}.

While flying [[Combat Air Patrol|CAP]], Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] orders Costanza to intercept a Raptor carrying the escaping President [[Laura Roslin]]. After Captain Lee Adama continues their escape after Costanza fires a warning shot across his bow, Tigh orders Costanza to stand down rather than shoot Captain Adama's Raptor down {{TRS|Resistance (episode)}}.

Costanza is one of the pilots, along with Captain Adama and Thrace, who are scrambled to intercept two Cylon raiders on a presumed reconnaissance mission to find ''Galactica''. The Raiders are dispatched with ease, though their real mission was to relay a transmission from a [[Number Three|Cylon agent]] on board ''Galactica'' to {{RDM|Caprica}} {{TRS|Final Cut}}. 

Costanza is with Captain Adama and Thrace practicing handgun marksmanship on the [[firing range]] when a [[Cylon computer virus]] nearly suffocates the trio. Later, Costanza is scrambled with the rest of ''Galactica'''s air group to face a massive formation of Cylon forces. With the timely intervention of [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Sharon]], the enemy fighters are disabled and Costanza joyfully takes part in the [[Great Cylon Turkey Shoot]] {{TRS|Flight of the Phoenix}}.

Castanza is later part of the honor guard present on the [[hangar deck]] when [[Admiral]] [[Helena Cain]] arrives on ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'' {{TRS|Pegasus (episode)}}. 

Later, Costanza presumably takes part in a [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship| joint operation]] which required all available pilots from both the ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'' and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)| Pegasus]]'' air wings {{TRS|Resurrection Ship, Part II}}. 

Costanza is among the pilots assigned to patrol the asteroid field during weeks-long mining operations. He survives the mission, helps account for [[Reilly]]'s belongings after the pilot is killed by Scar and is later present in the pilot's rec room when {{callsign|Starbuck}} toasts to the deceased pilots {{TRS|Scar}}.

Constanza has a brief intimate relationship with [[Cally Henderson]] prior to her marriage to [[Galen Tyrol]], and is the biological father of her son [[Nicholas Tyrol]] {{TRS|A Disquiet Follows My Soul}}.

After the discovery of [[New Caprica]], Costanza remains in the Fleet above the planet, who are later forced to leave when the Cylons arrive. Four months later, Costanza leads [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] in the [[Battle of New Caprica|attack]] on the New Caprica ship yard. He and his wingman, [[Redwing]], provide cover fire for resistance members attempting to enter the facility by destroying many guard tower emplacements {{TRS|Exodus, Part II}}.

After the exodus from New Caprica, Costanza is the one that suggests "Athena" as a callsign for {{callsign|Athena}}. He appears to be one of Major Adama's senior pilots {{TRS|Torn}} and is a member of the boarding party sent to investigate the dying Cylon [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] found in the [[Lion's Head Nebula]] {{TRS|A Measure of Salvation}}.

With other pilots, he is responsible for shepherding civilian ships through a [[passage (star cluster)|massive star cluster]]. In one of the outbound flights, Costanza loses the ''[[Adriatic]]'' {{TRS|The Passage}}.

At a mission briefing he complains about a rash in his pubic region. Captain [[Karl Agathon|Agathon]] teases him about and says that he hopes the girl was worth it, moving to the next seat {{TRS|A Day in the Life}}.

During an underway replenishment operation near a gas giant, Costanza is assigned to fly as Thrace's wingman during a routine CAP. It is on one of these CAPs Thraces believes to have made visual contact with a Cylon ship, though Costanza and Thrace's [[gun camera]] see nothing {{TRS|Maelstrom}}.

Two weeks after Kara Thrace's death, Costanza is present during the daily mission brief conducted by Major Adama immediately prior to the major being taken off flight status and replaced with Karl Agathon as CAG {{TRS|The Son Also Rises}}.

During the opening days of Baltar's trial, Costanza is playing a game of [[Pyramid]] in [[Joe's bar]] with the [[nuggets]] [[Diana Seelix]] and [[Samuel Anders]] {{TRS|Crossroads, Part I}}.

After the [[Battle of the Ionian Nebula]], he plays a "strip poker" variant of [[Triad (RDM)|Triad]] with [[Margaret Edmonson]] and the [[tattooed pilot]], before Lee Adama's send off party {{TRS|Six of One}}. Costanza then joins the crew of ''[[Demetrius]]'' as a pilot for one of her [[Viper Mark II]] fighters {{TRS|The Road Less Traveled}}.

When half of ''Galactica''{{'|s}} air wing is assigned to the [[Cylon Civil War|rebel]] Cylon basestar, Costanza is among their number. He presumably takes part in the attack on the Cylon [[Resurrection Hub]] and is later among those held hostage by [[Number Three]] ("[[Sine Qua Non]]," "[[The Hub]]," "[[Revelations]]").

Constanza and Galen Tyrol learn that the former is the biological father of Nicholas Tyrol {{TRS|A Disquiet Follows My Soul}}.

During [[Gaeta's Mutiny|Felix Gaeta's coup d'etat attempt]] Costanza is completely unaware of the mutiny and is deployed on the first [[CAP]] squadron fielded by the newly minted "Commander" Gaeta.  He is forced to make a critical decision when he is ordered by CIC to shoot down a Raptor fleeting ''Galactica'' bound for the Rebel Baseship.  When he learns [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] is aboard the Raptor he refuses to open fire on it, yet makes no apparent attempt to stop [[Noel Allison|Narcho]] when he moves in to shoot it down {{TRS|Blood on the Scales}}.  Narcho misses the Raptor and it reaches the basestar safely.  As he did not play an active part in the mutiny, he was not punished for his actions and allowed to remain on active duty.

Costanza is among the pilots present on the flight deck when [[Sharon Valerii]] returns to ''Galactica'' with [[Ellen Tigh]].  Upon seeing the resurrected Mrs. Tigh, Costanza quips, with {{callsign|Starbuck}} standing beside him, "how many other dead chicks are out there?" {{TRS|Deadlock}}.

During the evacuation of Galactica, Costanza and his son are seen toting pictures of the deceased pilots from [[the Wall]], not wanting to leave them behind. He says that there are still people left there that no one remembers. Adama gives him leave, and he goes with his son. He volunteers to go on the mission to [[The Colony]] to rescue [[Hera]]. {{TRS|Daybreak, Part I}}

In ''Galatica's'' final action against [[The Colony]], Costanza leads the remaining Vipers into combat against overwhelming numbers of Cylon raiders. Surviving the dogfight, he calls into the CIC to tell Adama that the Cylons have backed down at the request of [[Cavil]].  Costanza presumably settles on the planet the Colonials decide to name "Earth" with the rest of the human race.   {{TRS|Daybreak, Part II}}.

==Character Development==

===Casting and Portrayal===

[[Bodie Olmos]], the real-life son of [[Edward James Olmos]] ([[William Adama]]), had to earn his role through the standard audition process rather than being automatically cast due to his father's involvement in the series.

Following Costanza's memorable debut in "[[Act of Contrition]]," Olmos went on to play Costanza on a recurring basis throughout the rest of the [[Season 1 (2004-05)|first season]] and beyond.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=133}}</ref> The character's role expanded significantly as the series progressed, becoming one of the most recognizable secondary pilots in the show.

===Character Evolution===

According to [[David Eick]] and [[Ron D. Moore]], Costanza's increased prominence was not initially planned. In the DVD commentary for "Act of Contrition," the producers explained how the nugget pilots, including Costanza, unexpectedly became central to the series:

:"Well those three in the front, [[Donald Perry|Chuckles]], Hot Dog, and {{callsign|Kat}}, they all became 'pilots' to us. And I don't think we really had any expectation of that. The idea was we were going to do 'the nuggets,' 'the new pilots,' was just going to be its own kind of story, and ''maybe'' you might see one of these guys again later. And what started happening is the writers just started putting them in, like almost every scene that we [[List of pilots|dealt with the pilots]] (of ''[[Galactica (TRS)|Galactica]]'') so these ''became'' our 'recognizable faces'."<ref>DVD Commentary for "Act of Contrition," [[David Eick]] and [[Ron D. Moore]]</ref>

===Personal Perspective===

Bodie Olmos has described his character as embodying a fearless, all-out approach to both combat and life: "He's a bit of a rebel, he's got a bit of a crazy streak, he's obviously a flashy pilot, and he always goes full out to do what he's got to do. He'll risk his life to protect [[The Fleet (TRS)|the fleet]] or do whatever needs to be done. He really pushes himself without reservation and has no fear. It's been a real joy to portray that."<ref>{{cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=133}}</ref>

For Olmos, the role represented a childhood dream fulfilled: "I grew up watching the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original ''Battlestar'']] and ''Star Trek'' and all the other spaceship shows, so it's a dream come true to be a [[Viper (TRS)|Viper]] [[List of pilots|pilot]] on this show." He also appreciated the unique opportunity to work alongside his father: "It's also been very exciting to play this role and work alongside such amazing actors. And it's just been great to work with my dad and share some time with him in a different environment. So I'm very grateful and proud to be a part of this show."<ref>{{cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=133}}</ref>

== Notes ==

*Actor [[Bodie Olmos]] is the youngest son of [[Edward James Olmos]] ([[William Adama]]) and the grandson of actor/singer Howard Keel.  This fact is widely attributed to be the only reason Olmos' character has survived this long.

*During the initial briefing with [[Kara Thrace|Thrace]], Costanza can be seen to be flipping his pen around his fingers in a similar fashion to "Iceman" from the movie "Top Gun" {{TRS|Act of Contrition}}. This is also the way many drummers like to flip their drumsticks around, and Bodie Olmos has revealed in interviews that he is an avid drummer.

*Costanza is featured in the XBOX 360 ''Battlestar Galactica'' game as one of the pilots the player competes with to shoot down the most ships and become ''Galactica'''s new top gun.

== References ==

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