Editing Memorial hallway

[[File:Memorialhall1.jpg|right|thumb|[[Dualla]] as she enters the memorial hallway.]]
[[File:Maelstrom memorial hallway.jpg|thumb|right|Lee Adama and Kara Thrace in the hallway {{TRS|Maelstrom}}.]]

The '''memorial hallway'''<ref>{{bsgwiki term}}</ref> was created by the crew of ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'' to aid the [[The Fleet (RDM)|survivors of humanity]] to find any loved ones who may have been rescued from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon destruction of the Colonies]] and were lucky to find themselves on one of the many ships in the battlestar's care.

== Creation and Early Purpose ==
Five days after the Fleet's [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage|escape from Ragnar]], Specialist [[Socinus]] and other crew are gathering a [[Fleet registry|record of surviving colonists]] for the new [[Government of the Twelve Colonies|Colonial government]], but cannot upload photos to the database (or possibly to other ships) at that moment.<ref name="companion46">{{cite book |title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]] |pages=46 |author=David Bassom |publisher=Titan Books |year=2005}}</ref> When [[Anastasia Dualla]] offers her photos to Socinus, he suggests to leave the photo with his group or to place it outside in one of ''Galactica''{{'|s}} hallways. Opting for the latter, Dualla encounters hundreds of photos, newspaper clippings, drawings, and other mementos of loved ones presumed lost or missing in the new Cylon war {{TRS|33}}.<ref>It is not known how, cinematically, the wall was created, but a popular guess is that the many photos are the anonymous contributions of the show's cast and crew.</ref><blockquote>The memorial hallway was conceived as part of the series' exploration of humanity's response to catastrophic loss. ''[[Battlestar Galactica (TRS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'s storylines'' were heavily influenced by the tone of the [[w:September 11, 2001|2001 terrorist attacks in New York]], and the memorial hallway served as a poignant allegory to the makeshift tributes created in the aftermath of that tragedy.<ref name="companion46" /></blockquote>Unbeknownst to ''Galactica''<nowiki/>'s crew, Brother [[John Cavil]] uses the hallway to post calling cards to other Cylon agents via the placement of pamphlets for his religious services, at the suggestion by an unwitting Socinus {{TRS|The Plan}}.

Despite the Fleet registry's completion, the memorial remains and is periodically updated and visited by many as a personal shrine. Crewmembers and civilians pray there, lighting candles and mourning the dead. With no possibility of visiting their dead in cemeteries, the hallway serves as a [[w:Cenotaph|cenotaph]] or "[[w:Yahrtzeit_wall|Yahrtzeit wall]]" for Colonials and their newly-mortal Cylon allies alike.

In addition to the memorial hallway, the Viper pilots on ''Galactica'' have a [[Lest We Forget|special picture in their ready room]] that they touch as they exit as a memorial to other fallen comrades; a copy of the same photograph hangs on the bulkhead of President [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]]'s office aboard ''[[Colonial One]]'' {{TRS|33}}.

== Updates Throughout the Journey ==
The memorial's scope extends beyond those lost during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] to include those lost during the journey to Earth.

[[Louanne Katraine]] adds a picture of [[Reilly]]'s [[Reilly's girlfriend|girlfriend]] to the hallway in hopes that she will not be forgotten as quickly as the pilot {{TRS|Scar}}. Over a year later, {{callsign|Starbuck}} adds Katraine's photo to the wall beneath Katraine's addition, after Katraine [[Passage (star cluster)|succumbs to radiation poisoning]] {{TRS|The Passage}}. Following a promise made by {{callsign|Lee Adama}} to Kara Thrace prior to her death {{TRS|Maelstrom}}, he places a photo of her on the wall, near Katraine's photo {{TRS|The Son Also Rises}}.

Since joining the fleet, Rebel Cylons have also been witnessed placing images and pictures of fallen comrades on the memorial wall. Most notably on the wall are an image of [[Natalie Faust]], as well as images of two unnamed Eights, a Six and a Two. At least one of the images seems to be a Colonial Identification card. President Roslin and Admiral Adama's discovery of the Cylons' adoption of the practice cements their realization that the two societies' integration is a ''fait d'accompli'' irrespective of their own ambivalence {{TRS|Deadlock}}.

Following [[Gaius Baltar]]'s public revelation regarding the blood on the [[dog tags]] recovered from Thrace's dead body on [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]], the seemingly resurrected Thrace replaces her photo back on the wall, as it was briefly removed following [[Revelations|her reappearance]] {{TRS|Islanded in a Stream of Stars}}.

After Adama gives the order to abandon ''Galactica'', most of the pictures in the hallway are removed by survivors, save those that were placed there by people who died during the journey to Earth. Notably, [[Brendan Costanza]] retrieves the photographs of dead pilots to ensure they will not be forgotten {{TRS|Daybreak, Part I}}.

[[File:TRS - Final Cut - Racetrack in Memorial Hallway.jpg|thumb|[[Margaret Edmondson]] lights a candle in the hallway {{TRS|Final Cut}}.]]

== Location ==
A section of the hallway happened upon by [[Anastasia Dualla]] led to a [[Heads|head]] during its initial genesis {{TRS|33}}, while another section adjoined lead to an [[infirmary]] {{TRS|Final Cut}}. The breadth and depth of the hallway is otherwise not fully quantifiable.

== Musical Significance ==
The memorial hallway gained additional significance through composer [[Bear McCreary]]'s musical treatment of scenes involving the location. The track "'''[[Adama in the Memorial Hallway]]'''" from the [[Soundtrack (Season 4)|Season 4 soundtrack]] accompanies a pivotal scene in "[[Daybreak, Part I]]" where Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]] visits the hallway during the evacuation of ''Galactica''.<ref name="McCreary-Season4Album">{{cite web |url=https://bearmccreary.com/battlestar-galactica-season-4-soundtrack-is-out/#more-2539 |title=Battlestar Galactica: Season 4 Soundtrack Is Out! |author=Bear McCreary |date=2009 |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=Bear McCreary Official Website}}</ref>

In this emotionally charged piece, [[Eric Rigler]] introduces "[[Wander My Friends]]" on the Irish Whistle before somber, yet hopeful strings state the [[Military Theme]].<ref name="McCreary-Season4Album" /> McCreary noted the musical significance of the moment when "Adama stops in the hallway and turns around, the score pauses and then builds intensity as he returns to [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]'s picture, determined now to save her."<ref name="McCreary-Season4Album" /> This musical cue underscores Adama's emotional journey and his ultimate decision to [[Battle of the Colony|mount a rescue mission for Hera Agathon]], making the memorial hallway not just a place of remembrance, but a catalyst for the series' final act of heroism.

== Production Notes ==
=== Real-World Inspiration ===
The memorial hallway drew inspiration from real-world tragedies and the human response to catastrophic loss. In the early days following the [[w:September 11, 2001|2001 terrorist attacks in New York]], fences and sign posts in the area around the site of the attacks were covered by pictures of missing people by citizens asking for help in finding their loved ones. As rescue attempts at "Ground Zero" turned into recovery efforts, these many signs became makeshift memorials.<ref name="companion46"/> The ''Galactica'' memorial hallway was apparently intended as a poignant allegory to these tributes. Similar memorials are created after many large catastrophes in the world, such as the [[w:2004 Indian Ocean earthquake|2004 Indian Ocean tsunami]].

=== Set Design and Photography ===
Many of the photographs and notes posted in the memorial hallway on ''Galactica'' do not have their edges clipped as with all other Colonial paper. Further, many of the persons on the wall were relatives or friends of the cast and crew of the show, and sections were often replicated with the same photos to maintain the illusion of depth and breadth of the converted hallway set.

=== Series Development Impact ===
The terrorist attacks that inspired the memorial hallway not only influenced the series' storylines, but created delays that led to the premature demise of [[SDS|an earlier planned ''Battlestar Galactica'' continuation]] in pre-production that same year.

== Notes ==
*The [[Re-imagined Series]]' story lines were heavily influenced by the tone of the [[w:September 11, 2001|2001 terrorist attacks in New York]].
**In the early days of this event, fences and sign posts in the area around the site of the attacks were covered by pictures of missing people by the citizens to ask help in finding their loved ones. As the rescue attempts at "Ground Zero" turned into recovery efforts, these many signs became makeshift memorials. The ''Galactica'' memorial hallway was apparently intended as an poignant allegory to these tributes.
**The terrorist attacks not only influenced the series, but created delays that led to the premature demise of [[SDS|an earlier planned ''Battlestar Galactica'' continuation]] in pre-production that same year.
*Similar memorials are created after many large catastrophes in the world, such as the [[w:2004 Indian Ocean earthquake|2004 Indian Ocean tsunami]].
*Many of the photographs and notes posted in the memorial hallway on ''Galactica'' do not have their edges clipped as with all other Colonial paper. Further, many of the persons on the wall were relatives or friends of the cast and crew of the show, and sections were often replicated with the same photos to maintain the illusion of depth and breadth of the converted hallway set.

== Additional pictures ==
<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Memorial2.jpg|Closeup {{TRS|33}}.
File:Memorial3.jpg|Closeup ([[TRS]]: "33").
File:Memorial6.jpg|Kara Thrace and a mourning crewman at the memorial {{TRS|The Passage}}.
File:Memorial7.jpg|Kat with mourning crewmember in the background ([[TRS]]: "Scar").
File:BSG-TRS - Scar - Picture of Reilly's Girlfriend on Memorial Wall.jpg|{{callsign|Kat}}'s placement of [[Reilly]]'s picture of [[Reilly's girlfriend|his girlfriend]] following his death {{TRS|Scar}}.
File:Memorial8.jpg|Kat's picture is added after her death ([[TRS]]: "The Passage").
File:Memorial9.jpg|Closeup ([[TRS]]: "The Passage").
File:AdrienBauer.jpg|Baltar holding a picture of his [[Adrien Bauer|former assistant]] {{TRS|Taking a Break From All Your Worries}}.
File:Memorial Hallway during Galactica's Scuttling 01.png|The memorial hallway is stripped nearly bare during the evacuation {{TRS|Daybreak, Part I}}.
File:Memorial Hallway during Galactica's Scuttling 02.png|[[William Adama]] goes over the once-brimming walls of the memorial hallway during the scuttling of ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'', coming across a photo of the abducted [[Hera Agathon]] with her mother, {{callsign|Athena}} {{TRS|Daybreak, Part I}}.
</gallery>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
[[Category:Colonial History (RDM)]]
[[Category:Colonial Society]]
[[Category:Colonial Society (RDM)]]
[[Category:Galactica Areas]]
[[Category:Galactica Areas (RDM)]]
[[Category:Terminology]]
[[Category:Terminology (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

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