Tom

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Gay Thomas-WilsonThomas ZarekAlexandra Thomas

Tom
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Portrays:	3rd Girl Warrior #1
Date of Birth:
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month!
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Gay Thomas-Wilson is the actress who portrayed the first "3rd Girl Warrior" in "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I". She is credited in that episode as Gay Thomas.

Following her appearance in the Original Series, she appeared sporadically in various television and movies up until 2003. During that period, she appeared in M.A.N.T.I.S., Homicide: Life on the Street, Seinfeld, The Sopranos and Nip/Tuck.

Thomas-Wilson segued into personal development coaching and motivational speaking as "The Strategic Entrepreneur," which continues as of 2023.

References

Tom
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Age	{{{age}}}
Colony	Sagittaron
Birthplace	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	Thomas Zarek
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
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Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	Bastille Day
Last Appearance	Blood on the Scales
Death
Parents	{{{parents}}}
Step-Parents	{{{step_parents}}}
Siblings	{{{siblings}}}
Children	{{{children}}}
Marital Status	Single
Family Tree	View
Role	Vice President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol Former President of the Twelve Colonies Former representative of Sagittaron on the Quorum of Twelve
Rank	{{{rank}}}
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	Richard Hatch
Tom is a Cylon
Tom is a Final Five Cylon
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Tom is an Original Series Cylon
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Thomas Zarek, commonly known as Tom Zarek, was a political activist for more than thirty years before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. He was a charismatic, eloquent, and ideological political agitator who turned to terrorism, and was eventually incarcerated for blowing up a government building on Sagittaron. His twenty-year incarceration culminated in a sojourn on Astral Queen, an FTL-capable prison ship, while in transit to parole hearings. Assigned the prison number of 893893, Zarek is under consideration for parole at the time of the Cylon attack. Afterward, he is elected the Sagitarion delegate to the Quorum of Twelve, before being appointed vice president of the Twelve Colonies under Gaius Baltar. He serves as president for several days before transferring power to Laura Roslin and in turn becoming her vice president. In punishment for leading a coup against the civilian government, Zarek is executed for murder and treason alongside Felix Gaeta.

Biography

Zarek came from Sagittaron, a colony known to be mistreated by the other eleven Colonies. Through his experiences on that colony he became an advocate of freedom from slavery, and proclaimed himself a voice for the disenfranchised. Along with publishing a book that was virtually banned throughout the Colonies, Zarek actively sought to combat injustices with the aid of his group, the S.F.M.

Though some consider him a terrorist for his often violent tactics (which include the destruction of a government building that results in unspecified casualties), others see him as a freedom fighter and a hero. He believes in the efficacy of violence as a means of change, going as so far as to go to prison over a "matter of conscience" by refusing President Richard Adar's politically motivated conditional pardon: the pardon being issued in return for a public apology and pledge to give up violence as a means of change.

Some of his fellow Sagittarons have an intense dislike of him, including Anastasia Dualla. Despite this, he became a public figure whose name had weight and almost became legendary, thanks to public opinion ^{(TRS: "Bastille Day")}.

After the Fall of the Colonies

Zarek in his cell ^{(TRS: "Bastille Day")}.

As the Cylons attack the Twelve Colonies, Zarek is on a prison barge called Astral Queen, headed to Caprica for parole hearings with several hundred other inmates. Hiding out in the atmosphere of Ragnar with the rest of humanity's survivors, the captain of Astral Queen suggests that the inmates be euthanized, but his wish is overturned by President Roslin's humanitarian decision to keep all of humanity's remnants alive ^{(TRS: "Miniseries")}. This leaves Zarek with time to plot his escape.

With the discovery of a planet that could replenish Galactica's lost water, Commander Adama, Colonel Saul Tigh and President Roslin reluctantly decide to ask the prisoners to volunteer as badly needed manpower, under the condition that they would not be treated as slaves and they would agree of their own volition ^{(TRS: "Water" and "Bastille Day")}.

After Lee Adama's unsuccessful attempt to persuade the prisoners to help in the recovery efforts, Zarek's springs the prisoners' escape plan. The prisoners, under Zarek's command, usurp control of Astral Queen, and takes her crew and Galactica's visitors as prisoners. Zarek states his terms for release of the prisoners: the resignation of Laura Roslin and her administration, and the start of free and open elections for a new President. Zarek deems Roslin's presidency as illegitimate and illegal.

However, Zarek's aims are not in keeping with his demands; he wants a bloodbath to ensue, believing that all that people understand is violence, and that a bloodbath would destroy any credibility that Adama and Roslin have.

When the situation deteriorates near the point of catastrophe for all involved, Zarek, ready to sacrifice his life for his beliefs, is swayed by Lee Adama's promise that he would uphold the Articles of Colonization and hold open elections for a new president, once Roslin had served the remainder of President Adar's term (as dictated by the Articles and Case Orange), as well as give the ship over to the prisoners as a show of good faith ^{(TRS: "Bastille Day")}.

Attempts for Political Power

Tom Zarek in debate with Quorum members.

With a degree of freedom obtained by the prisoners - including control of Astral Queen - Zarek engages in a steady effort to gain the goodwill of others of influence within the Fleet. This effort includes physical acts of support for other ships, such as fixing the air filtration system on the ship occupied by Marshall Bagott, a politician from Virgon.

Zarek's efforts result in a nomination as Sagittaron's representative on the Quorum of Twelve. From there, Zarek makes a bid for the position of vice president using the support of those he assisted, and possibly badgered ^{(TRS: "Colonial Day")}.

While Zarek's attempt at the vice presidency fails after Roslin replaces the somewhat unlikeable Wallace Gray with the charismatic Doctor Gaius Baltar as an alternative candidate, Zarek makes it clear to Roslin that he will be standing against her in the elections. Zarek remains possibly the most powerful and popular representative in the Quorum of Twelve.

When he is interviewed by the press aboard Cloud 9, he makes several comments consistent with a collectivist-oriented political ideology ^{(TRS: "Colonial Day")}. Whether these comments reflect Zarek's actual ideology, or if they are a cover he is using for his own purposes, remains unknown.

Breakaway from the Fleet

The schism created by Commander Adama's unlawful arrest of President Roslin^{(TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")} and Colonel Tigh's declaration of martial law presents Zarek with an opportunity to convince others that Adama is after total control of the Fleet. Zarek likely sought to use Tigh's inexperience with dealing with the government and press against the military powers. Zarek and the Quorum soon learn of Roslin's terminal cancer, after Tigh permits the Quorum of Twelve to see her in Galactica's brig ^{(TRS: "Fragged")}.

After the Gideon incident, where four civilians die, some Galactica crew members orchestrate Roslin's escape. Lee Adama, knowing they would be hunted throughout the Fleet, enlists Zarek's assistance in secreting Roslin away from Tigh and Commander Adama ^{(TRS: "Resistance", "Resistance" and "The Farm")}. Roslin is initially dismayed to be greeted by Zarek, but realizes that Zarek, no friend to either Adama or Tigh, is "the enemy of my enemy."

Zarek and Roslin attempt to use appeals by recorded wireless messages to sway favor in the Fleet to return to Kobol. Zarek convinces Lee Adama at first to create a dissenting message against Galactica's rule, but Lee changes his mind. After Roslin plays the "religious card" to sway support for her cause in the Fleet, Roslin and Zarek lead a separatist fleet back to Kobol to await Kara Thrace's return with the Arrow of Apollo, for use in unlocking the Tomb of Athena.

Zarek, with his associate Meier, plan to eliminate the young Captain Adama on Kobol, using the rationalization about Zeus' warning that any return to Kobol would "exact a price in blood". Zarek feels that removing the young Adama would create a political power vacuum, allowing Zarek to take the position as leader of the fractioned Fleet, while Roslin would remain president ^{(TRS: "Home, Part I")}.

Zarek abandons the assassination plan when Commander Adama arrives on Kobol to mend fences with Roslin. However, Meier privately revises the plan outside of Zarek's knowledge, now with the goal of eliminating both Adamas by soliciting the help of the Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii that returned with Karl "Helo" Agathon and Thrace. Unfortunately for Zarek, Caprica-Valerii double-crosses Meier, killing him at the entrance to the Tomb of Athena. While none in the group immediately consider Zarek as a suspect in Meier's assassination attempt, Commander Adama remains guarded and leaves Zarek and several others outside of the Tomb under the watchful eye of Chief Tyrol while they unlock its secrets ^{(TRS: "Home, Part II")}.

After the Fleet's Reunification

Zarek later gives Lee Adama information regarding the black market, initially claiming not to be a part of it because he needs to keep his hands clean, but ultimately points out that the black market does get supplies where they are needed. Nonetheless, Zarek mentions the central hub of the black market, Prometheus, a ship so lawless that it is practically "off the grid," as well as the name of a "businessman," Phelan. However, soon after Phelan's death at the hands of Captain Adama, Tom Zarek is seen walking through a crowd on Prometheus with one of Phelan's old henchmen in tow. It is unknown how much involvement Tom Zarek has with the organization ^{(TRS: "Black Market")}.

Despite being the presumed opponent of Roslin in the upcoming presidential election, Zarek decides not to run against her because he realizes he probably won't win the election. However, he encourages Vice President Gaius Baltar to run in his place ^{(TRS: "The Captain's Hand")}.

Baltar's Election Campaign

When Baltar announces his run for the presidency, Zarek assumes a position as his campaign manager. For all Zarek's personal political talent he has a hard time managing Baltar's campaign and faces the tough issue of whether Baltar is an electable candidate. After being trounced in the first debate by Roslin, Baltar's political future is in deep jeopardy and Zarek is left looking for a stronger wedge-issue other than Roslin's ties to the religious Gemenese. With the accidental discovery of New Caprica, an issue presents itself that they can get on the supposed right side of: the colonization of the newly found planet and a safe-haven from the Cylons. Zarek presses Baltar to pick up this issue and run with it and as soon as he does his political fortunes turn around dramatically. Like he predicted, the people rally around the idea of colonization; Baltar sails out of the final debate with a wide lead on Roslin ^{(TRS: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II")}.

With his job of campaign manager all but over on election day, there isn't much for Zarek to do but sit back and wait for the results to come in. When the initial tallies come in suggesting Roslin scored a remarkable come-back victory he says to Baltar that he's seen enough elections to recognize a fixed one. Baltar admonishes Zarek, maintaining that, whatever Laura Roslin is, she is above fixing an election.

Later, with Baltar as president, Zarek becomes his vice president.

The Occupation of New Caprica

After Baltar's surrender of the Colonial government, Zarek disagrees with the planned collaboration with the Cylons and is sent to a detention camp for four months.

Along with former President Laura Roslin, he and about 200 other dissidents are driven to the Pergamus Flats where they are to be executed by an order Baltar was forced to sign. After exiting the truck, Zarek asks Roslin directly whether she had attempted to steal the past election. After Roslin admits that she had, both agree that they wished she had succeeded. The group of detainees are soon faced with Cylon Centurions preparing to fire, and Zarek pulls Roslin back from the front of the crowd ^{(TRS: "Precipice")}. However, members of the resistance successfully prevent the execution.

Zarek attends the final meeting of the resistance to review the plan to escape New Caprica. Zarek and Roslin evacuate together towards their ships, though Roslin chooses to escape on Colonial One. Before departing for his own ship, Zarek gives a gun to Jammer and tells him to protect Roslin ^{(TRS: "Exodus, Part II")}.

Presidency and the new Roslin Administration

After the escape of the colonists from New Caprica, Zarek assumes his office as President, succeeding the missing Baltar. He brokers an agreement with Roslin, whereby she is elected as vice president and he steps down, returning her to the office she has held since the Cylon invasion. She would then appoint him as Vice President to her. He asks her to give him a position in the new government and she offers this job to him herself citing his courage in standing up against Baltar. Unknown to Roslin and Adama, Zarek has signed into law an executive order authorizing a secret six-person group tasked to find, charge, try, and execute collaborators and traitors. Sometime after disclosing this to Adama and Roslin, Zarek does go through with his plan, allowing Laura Roslin to resume her role as president. Despite condemning his actions and pardoning collaborators who collaborated with Cylons on New Caprica ^{(TRS: "Collaborators")}, Roslin is true to her word and appoints Zarek as her vice president.

Genuinely afraid of the consequences of trying Gaius Baltar after his capture on the algae planet, Zarek argues with Roslin about instituting martial law throughout the Fleet during Baltar's trial, citing potentially dangerous and destructive civil unrest and work stoppages throughout the Fleet ^{(TRS: "The Woman King")}.

When Cowen, the Caprican delegate to the Quorum of Twelve, dies, Zarek nominates the recently retired Lee Adama to the post, because of his dedication to finding the truth during the Baltar trial. In a benevolent attempt to keep the government from becoming a dictatorship, Zarek wants Adama on the Quorum to question some secretive decisions made by President Roslin. Zarek explains that this is not an attempt to manipulate Roslin in a malevolent way, but to deter her from the temptation of taking away the rights and power of the people for the sake of security. He acknowledges that he still supports Roslin and believes that even her most controversial decisions have been made for the good of the Fleet ^{(TRS: "The Ties That Bind")}.

Several months later, Zarek finds himself in direct conflict with Lee Adama and his father. After President Roslin is taken away from the fleet by the rebel basestar (TRS: "Guess What's Coming to Dinner"), Zarek asserts his legal right as vice president to serve as acting president--an assertion that is ignored by Admiral Adama. The younger Adama, after backing his father's decision, convinces Zarek to give grudging approval to a search for another acting president--a search that ultimately puts Lee Adama himself into the position ^{(TRS: "Sine Qua Non")}.

Post Earth/Coup d'etat

Following the discovery of a ruined Earth ^{(TRS: "Revelations")}, both Adamas advocate a plan for a permanent alliance with the rebel Cylons, a plan that will extend full citizenship and Quorum representation to the Cylons. Zarek angrily opposes the plan, and instead musters near-unanimous support in the Quorum for a law requiring prior permission from the people of each ship in the fleet before any Cylon is allowed to board. Admiral Adama retaliates by forcibly boarding Colonial One and placing Zarek under arrest. Adama compels Zarek to reveal the coordinates of a ship that had left the fleet in protest.

While in prison, Zarek meets with Lieutenant Felix Gaeta and wins his cooperation in resisting the Cylon alliance ^{(TRS: "A Disquiet Follows My Soul")}. Sometime later, Zarek is secretly freed from Galactica brig by Gaeta and several of Gaeta's co-conspirators. They are blocked from taking off in a waiting Raptor by deck chief Peter Laird, but Zarek kills Laird with a wrench before the latter can call for confirmation. Zarek returns to Colonial One in the midst of a stormy meeting of the Quorum led by Lee Adama. The vice president explains his surprise release as part of the admiral's decision to finally abandon democratic governance in favor of a military dictatorship: with democratic institutions such as the Quorum now cut off from power, Zarek is supposedly no longer a political threat and is therefore not worth keeping under arrest. While this is occurring, Gaeta's mutiny aboard Galactica continues until the CIC is secure and the senior staff are detained. Zarek calls Gaeta, and expresses his own surprise at the fact that Adama has not been killed ^{(TRS: "The Oath")}.

During his and Gaeta's rebellion, Zarek uses violence to gain the power he wants. When the Quorum do not support him and order him to leave--addressing him as Vice President rather than President--he orders their execution by the marines outside the door. After the order is carried out, he summons Gaeta, who reacts in horror and says that now all they had were "lies and murder."

He acts as judge in a court-martial for Adama, finds him guilty of treason, and as he had intended all along, orders his execution. When Roslin calls from the Cylon baseship demanding that he and Gaeta surrender, he refuses, claiming that Tigh is dead already and that Adama is going to be executed. His call for Roslin to surrender in order to end the bloodshed infurates her to the point of turning the baseship's weapons on Galactica. Zarek wants to fight, but Gaeta tries to jump away, only to be foiled by Tyrol's sabotage of the FTL drive. Zarek is shocked by Gaeta's order to stand down all weapons. Seconds later, Zarek and Gaeta are arrested by Adama and his supporters, ending the rebellion.

Zarek is later executed by firing squad for his actions alongside Gaeta. He offers Gaeta a smile before the squad opens fire ^{(TRS: "Blood on the Scales")}.

Character Development

Creation and Naming

Toni Graphia on naming Tom Zarek:

Toni Graphia: We knew we probably wanted something starting with a 'Z' for his surname, because a 'Z' sounds strong and futuristic. And we wanted him to have a religious-sounding name for his first name, so we looked at a number of Saints' names.

His original name was Peter Zarek, but that didn't clear with our legal department. So we changed it to Tom.

—

Character Conception

Toni Graphia and Ronald D. Moore on the complexity of Tom Zarek:

Ronald D. Moore: (Initially describing the character) A Nelson Mandela-style prisoner of conscience.

Toni Graphia: We saw Tom Zarek as someone who had created a lot of trouble for the 'right reasons.' He had committed terrorist acts in the name of preventing his colony and his people from being exploited. Zarek is not a moustache-twirling villain. He's a something of a rogue hero, and he's supposed to be very likeable.

Ronald D. Moore: Tom Zarek is idealistic in his own way. But I think he has more personal ambition than even he would care to admit.

—

Richard Hatch's Interpretation

Actor Richard Hatch on the moral ambiguity of his character:

Richard Hatch: I play Zarek as a heroic and idealistic character who is struggling to deal with his dark side and the pain and anger of his past. In my mind he's got idealistic motivations, but sometimes his high ideas and personal flaws can lead him to do things that can be interpreted as bad.

Ron Moore is extremely good at creating complex, interesting characters who aren't just all good or all bad. So Tom Zarek is ultimately just a very complex human being, like we all are in real life.

—

Casting Process

Richard Hatch on accepting the role of Tom Zarek after initially declining a cameo in the Miniseries:

Richard Hatch: Prior to that episode, I had told Ron that if there was a wonderful and challenging role for me, I would be open to doing that. When he told me about Tom Zarek, I thought the role sounded terrific and I agreed to do it.

I fell in love with the original show and I spent a lot of time and money fighting to bring it back, so it was a painful process for me to accept that the studio was going ahead with a re-imagining instead. I would have loved Universal to have made a continuation with Ron Moore and David Eick and most of their cast and crew.

But I had to come to terms in a very painful way that I didn't own Battlestar, and I had to move past my own frustrations to appreciate the new show on its own merits.

—

Working Relationships

With Mary McDonnell

Richard Hatch and Mary McDonnell on their professional chemistry in "Colonial Day":

Richard Hatch: What was nice about that episode is that my character gets taken off the prison barge and gets put in a position where he can fight within the system, rather than from outside it. He gets the chance to represent Sagittaron and go up against President Roslin, and you're still not quite sure what his motivations really are.

I enjoyed coming back, especially because I got a chance to work with Mary McDonnell, who is a brilliant actress. For me, that episode was a pure joy.

Mary McDonnell: I thoroughly enjoyed working with Richard on that episode. He's succeeded in creating a great role for himself. I think we have a great chemistry and he's a pretty powerful nemesis for Laura.

I have complete respect for the old show, especially after I got to meet Richard Hatch. I love working with Richard and he does a terrific job of playing Laura's nemesis, Tom Zarek.

—

Impact on the Series

Richard Hatch reflecting on the rewards of joining the Re-imagined Series:

It's wonderful to be playing a really interesting character on a show that I think is going to end up as a brilliant science fiction series. What I love about the new show is that they're exploring the core premise in ways we weren't able to do twenty-five years ago. The show has also reminded me what's it like to play a challenging, complex and rewarding role. It has actually rekindled my love of acting.

—Richard Hatch,

Notes

• Tom Zarek is portrayed by actor Richard Hatch, who portrayed the original Apollo in the Original Series. Hatch is the only actor to have had roles in both Battlestar Galactica series.
• A separate continuity comic book series, starting with Battlestar Galactica: Zarek 1, gives a non-canonical tale about this character's more rebellious life.
• Ronald D. Moore noted that President Roslin's first public encounter with Tom Zarek was loosely inspired by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin during the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.
• Moore described "Colonial Day" as their "West Wing episode," designed to explore the political nature of the show and see how Laura functions as President while giving them an opportunity to bring back Tom Zarek.

References

Preceded by: unknown	Sagittaron delegate to the Quorum of Twelve	Succeeded by: unknown eventually Jacob Cantrell
Preceded by: Gaius Baltar	Vice-President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol	Succeeded by: Laura Roslin
Preceded by: Gaius Baltar	President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol	Succeeded by: Laura Roslin
Preceded by: Laura Roslin	Vice-President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol	Succeeded by: Lee Adama

Tom
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Portrays:	Hera Agathon
Date of Birth:
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month!
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Alexandra Thomas is the child actress who portrays Hera Agathon in the fourth season of the Re-imagined Series. Hera is portrayed in Season 3 by Lily Duong-Walton.

Tom BowerTom DeFalcoTom DeSantoTom Rogers

Tom
PerformerRDM
Portrays:	Joe
Date of Birth:	January 3,1938
Date of Death:	May 30, 2024
Age at Death:	86
Nationality:	USA
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Tom Bower (born Ralph Thomas Bower; January 3, 1938 – May 30, 2024) was an American actor and producer born in Denver, Colorado. He portrayed the bartender Joe in the Battlestar Galactica Re-imagined Series episode "Taking a Break From All Your Worries". Over a five-decade career he accumulated more than 180 screen credits, with his most sustained recognition coming from his recurring role as Dr. Curtis Willard on The Waltons, his role as Marvin the janitor in Die Hard 2 (1990), and a body of independent film work that brought him into repeated collaboration with directors including Robert M. Young, Ed Harris, Scott Cooper, and Werner Herzog.

Career

Early life and training

Bower grew up in Denver, Colorado, where he played varsity baseball, basketball, and football, and ran track. He described himself as an extraordinary athlete who until about age twenty fully believed baseball and later golf would be his livelihood. Torn ligaments and a sore arm from throwing curveballs prematurely ended that prospect. He later described the sliver separating the truly gifted from the very good as what determines the professional, and turned to acting through local theater groups and university productions in Denver. He described the moment he chose his senior play over his final baseball season as the point at which his course was set.

Following graduation — and a season of summer stock at Elitch Gardens Summer Theater in Denver, which he described as the oldest summer stock theater in the United States — he went to New York City. In 1956, at seventeen, he enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where Robert Redford was a classmate, though neither was known at the time. After a year and a half at the Academy he shifted to the John Cassavetes Shadows Workshop, and participated in the making of Cassavetes's debut feature Shadows, shot in 1957 over ten weeks with a 16mm camera and an improvisational method.

After Shadows, Bower worked as a private investigator in Boston, often alongside attorney F. Lee Bailey. He co-founded the Boston Repertory Theater during this period, where he taught acting classes to Al Pacino. While still working as a detective in 1972, Bower was cast in David Rabe's The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel opposite Pacino; the production moved to Broadway and won a Tony Award in 1977. He then drove to Los Angeles in a Volkswagen to pursue full-time screen acting, picking up early television roles on Get Christie Love!, Kojak, and The Rockford Files before landing on The Waltons.

Television career

Bower's most sustained early television role was on The Waltons (CBS). He first appeared as stunt pilot Rex Barker in a fourth-season episode, then returned as Dr. Curtis Willard in Season 5. Willard was a physician who married Mary Ellen Walton, portrayed by Judy Norton; Bower appeared in 27 episodes of the series. The character was written out in 1978 — killed off-screen at Pearl Harbor. In a 2022 conversation with Norton on her YouTube channel, Bower recalled that his departure followed a request for a modest pay increase, summarizing the outcome as being "sent to Pearl Harbor." He also noted in that conversation that Waltons star Ralph Waite had been displeased when Bower appeared more polished in his second season, and that he considered Waite's instinct correct in hindsight. Bower attended the series' 45th anniversary reunion in Schuyler, Virginia, in March 2017, held in conjunction with the first anniversary of the death of Waltons creator Earl Hamner Jr.

His television guest work was wide-ranging. Early credits beyond The Waltons included The Blue Knight, The Bionic Woman, Baretta, Lou Grant, Barnaby Jones, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, Dallas, and Murder, She Wrote. Later appearances included NYPD Blue, The X-Files, The West Wing, The Practice (as John Pierce), Law & Order, Cold Case, and the HBO film The Laramie Project (2002), in which he played Father Roger Schmit. He played Marion Bartlett — the stepfather who is among the first victims of Charles Starkweather — in the ABC miniseries Murder in the Heartland (1993), opposite Tim Roth and Fairuza Balk. In his later years he had recurring roles on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (as Pop-Pop, 2005 and 2012), Ray Donovan, Bosch, and Lucky Hank (2023, AMC), where he played Henry Devereaux Sr., the estranged father of Bob Odenkirk's title character.

Film career

Bower's first significant film role was Boone Choate, the deputy whose imprecise translation of a Spanish exchange triggers a fatal misunderstanding and launches a massive manhunt, in The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982), directed by Robert M. Young and produced by and starring Edward James Olmos. The film was later selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. A 2016 cast-and-crew panel recorded in Los Angeles — preserved on the Criterion Collection Blu-ray release (2018) — brought Bower together with Olmos, Young, producer Moctesuma Esparza, and co-stars Bruce McGill, Rosanna DeSoto, and Pepe Serna.

His lead performance in Wildrose (1984), an independent drama set in a Minnesota iron mine co-starring Lisa Eichhorn, earned him a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead at the inaugural ceremony in 1986, alongside nominees including Rubén Blades and Treat Williams. The film also received a Gold Hugo nomination at the Chicago International Film Festival.

In 1985 he appeared in The Lightship, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski and co-starring Robert Duvall and Klaus Maria Brandauer, as a crew member called Coop. He played Detective Bennett in River's Edge (1986), directed by Tim Hunter, a film that earned a year-end top-ten placement from Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel.

He played Marvin, the airport janitor who teams up with Bruce Willis's Lt. John McClane to thwart a terrorist cell, in Die Hard 2 (1990); Marvin drives the reunited McClanes away from the airport in the film's final scene. Bower later cited Marvin, Cecil Skell in True Believer (1989), and an uncredited turn as a helicopter pilot in Clear and Present Danger (1994) as among his favorite roles, noting that people he met could often recite his characters' dialogue more readily than he could himself. He discussed the Die Hard 2 production, his work on Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), and High Crimes (2002) in a career retrospective interview recorded for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Legacy Collection.

He played Francis Nixon, the 37th President's father, in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995), starring Anthony Hopkins. He appeared as Sgt. Cally in Brian De Palma's Raising Cain (1992); he discussed the film, his fellow cast members, and De Palma's visual style in an eight-minute interview — titled "The Cat's in the Bag" — produced for the Scream Factory Collector's Edition Blu-ray (2016).

He appeared in both Pollock (2000) and Appaloosa (2008) for Ed Harris, a colleague from his years at the Met Theatre. He appeared in both Crazy Heart (2009) — as Bill Wilson, the agent of Jeff Bridges's character Bad Blake — and Out of the Furnace (2013) for Scott Cooper, with whom he had previously co-starred in Bill's Gun Shop (2001), an independently produced Minneapolis crime film. He played Pat McDonagh, the recovering-alcoholic father of Nicolas Cage's corrupt detective, in Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009). He appeared in The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and in Casey Affleck's post-apocalyptic Light of My Life (2019), where he played a devout man who confronts the film's central father-and-daughter pair; Owen Gleiberman in Variety wrote that Bower, "as a Bible thumper who has lost everything he cares about, has presence." He also appeared in Vince Gilligan's El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) as Lou, a former neighbor of Todd Alquist's.

As a producer, Bower worked on several independent films. He was executive producer on Human Error (2004), directed by Robert M. Young and based on Richard Dresser's play Below the Belt; co-producer on Bill's Gun Shop (2001); and associate producer on Neither Wolf Nor Dog (2016), director Steven Lewis Simpson's adaptation of Kent Nerburn's novel, with Dave Bald Eagle in the lead role — a film that ran in more than 200 theaters across North America through a self-organized distribution campaign.

Stage work and theater producing

Bower accumulated more than eighty stage credits across productions in Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, and other cities. He was a board member of the Met Theatre in Hollywood, whose company included James Gammon, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Holly Hunter, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley. As a producer he mounted world premieres of John Patrick Shanley's Italian American Reconciliation at the Gnu Theater in Los Angeles (1987), Tom Grimes's Spec at the Met Theatre (1991), and Murray Mednick's Scar starring Ed Harris at the Met Theatre (1992). He was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio.

In 1981, Bower was invited by Robert Redford to serve as a resource actor at the inaugural Sundance Institute Filmmakers Lab; he returned in 1985, remained active there for years, and served on the Institute's nominating committee.

Union leadership

Bower joined both SAG and AFTRA in 1973. He served on the SAG National Board of Directors from 1995 to 2002, on the Hollywood Board, and on numerous committees including the SAG TV Residual Study, Global Rule One, Communications, National Agents Relations, and National New Technologies committees. He co-created what became SAGindie, the program that guides independent filmmakers through the union signatory process.

As co-chair of SAG's Global Rule One committee, Bower publicly defended the union's 2002 initiative to enforce its membership rules on American productions shot outside the United States. When Canadian producers challenged the measure as unlawful, he responded that SAG's legal department had researched the question extensively, and that producers working abroad without SAG contracts had long avoided pension and health contributions owed to members. Fellow SAG member Mark Moses noted after Bower's death that his union contributions benefited all members.

From 2005 until his death Bower served as President of the Jury and President of the Honorary Advisory Committee of the Syracuse International Film Festival, and in 2011 received the Festival's Sophia Lifetime Achievement Award. He won Best Actor at the Hollywood Film Festival in 2012 for the short film A Good Thing.

Battlestar Galactica

Bower appeared in the third-season Battlestar Galactica episode "Taking a Break From All Your Worries" (2007), as Joe, the civilian bartender who runs Joe's bar aboard the Galactica. In the episode, Apollo introduces Chief Tyrol to the newly established drinking establishment, a makeshift lounge on one of the hangar decks. The episode's title came from a lyric in the Cheers theme song; it originally reflected a plan for the story to revolve more centrally around the bar's creation, but the narrative shifted during development. Joe's bar appeared in later episodes, though the character Joe did not.

Personal life

Bower married twice; his first marriage ended in divorce. He later married Ursula Bower, who predeceased him in August 2023 at the age of 75. They were married 51 years and, according to his sister-in-law, never spent a day apart. They had four grandchildren. His family described the three most important things in his life as his wife, acting, and his commitment to fairness for fellow actors.

Bower died in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles on May 30, 2024. His death was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by his sister-in-law, Mary Miller. He is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

References

External Sources

Tom
[[File:|200px]]
Role:	Writer
BSG Universe:	Original Series
Date of Birth:	June 26, 1950
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
Age:	75
Nationality:	USA
[ Official Site]
IMDb profile

Tom DeFalco is the writer of one of the Marvel Comics based on the Original Series.

Writer credits for "Battlestar Galactica" Marvel Comics

• #10: This Planet Hungers

External links

• A list of Tom DeFalco's comic book credits at The Comics' Database

Tom
[[File:|200px]]
Role:	Producer
BSG Universe:
Date of Birth:
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
Nationality:	USA
[{{{site}}} Official Site]
IMDb profile

Tom DeSanto is an American film producer best known for his work with long time friend Bryan Singer.

Biographical Notes

Tom DeSanto, with X-Men director Bryan Singer, were asked by Studios USA to begin work on a revival of the Battlestar Galactica series in February, 2001. USA Television Production Group President David Kissinger gave the greenlight on the project. Galactica series creator Glen A. Larson was brought in to give his blessing to the venture, and later joined the project as a creative consultant. DeSanto evaded questions as to the nature of the series, including recasting of any of the original series' actors. It was believed that DeSanto's series concept would pick up where the series left off, although it is unclear whether the elements of the Galactica 1980 series would impact the project.

Pre-production was stilled after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York. This event, as well as Singer's committments to the X2: X-Men United movie placed the project in jeapardy. Several other notable directors and writers were reviewed to replace Singer. However, with the attraction that Singer brought to the project now gone, Fox Studios withdrew support of the project and turned its attention to the Joss Whedon Firefly TV project.

USA Television formed a new creative team of Ronald D. Moore and David Eick to develop a fully-revised story concept of the series. This project was completed and resulted in the Battlestar Galactica Miniseries in late 2003, the basis for the new series that appears on the USA Networks-owned Sci-Fi Channel.

External Links

• Tom article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Tom
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Age	{{{age}}}
Colony	Earth
Birthplace	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	{{{birthname}}}
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign	{{{callsign}}}
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	Space Croppers
Last Appearance	[[{{{lastseen}}}]]
Death	{{{death}}}
Parents	{{{parents}}}
Step-Parents	{{{step_parents}}}
Siblings	{{{siblings}}}
Children	{{{children}}}
Marital Status	{{{marital status}}}
Family Tree	View
Role	Head of the Growers Association
Rank	{{{rank}}}
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	Booth Colman
Tom is a Cylon
Tom is a Final Five Cylon
Tom is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Tom is an Original Series Cylon

Tom Rogers is the head of a Growers Association in California.

He, as with the other members, respond to John Steadman's claims of jumping aliens and flying saucers with a level of incredulity that results in Steadman's loss of any clout he had. He oversees the reversal of Steadman's water restrictions, thus remedying the issues of both the Alonzo's and other local growers ^{(1980: "Space Croppers")}.

TomasTomas Vergis

This article has a separate continuity. This article is in the Dynamite Comics separate continuity, which is related to the Re-imagined Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Tom
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Age	{{{age}}}
Colony	{{{colony}}}
Birthplace	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	{{{birthname}}}
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign	{{{callsign}}}
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero 5
Last Appearance	[[{{{lastseen}}}]]
Death	{{{death}}}
Parents	{{{parents}}}
Step-Parents	{{{step_parents}}}
Siblings	{{{siblings}}}
Children	{{{children}}}
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Family Tree	View
Role	Colonial Intelligence agent
Rank	{{{rank}}}
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	{{{actor}}}
Tom is a Cylon
Tom is a Final Five Cylon
Tom is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Tom is an Original Series Cylon

Tomas is an agent with Colonial Intelligence.

He is responsible for guarding the imprisoned Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh after Agent Levin arrests them. However, he is incapacitated by Tigh after they are freed by members of Galactica's crew, who determine that Levin and his cohorts are acting without official approval of the Colonial government (^{(Comics: Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero #5)}).

Tom
YR42Tauron Ink
[show/hide spoilers] Spoilers hidden in infobox by default.
Age
Colony	Tauron
Birthplace	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	{{{birthname}}}
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	Know Thy Enemy
Last Appearance	Things We Lock Away
Death	Suicide (with the involvement of Daniel Graystone), c. 58 BCH (42YR)
Parents
Step-Parents	{{{step_parents}}}
Siblings	At least one sister At least one brother
Children
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Family Tree	View
Role	Computer engineer; CEO of Vergis Corporation; creator of the meta-cognitive processor; CEO of Graystone Industries
Rank
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	John Pyper-Ferguson
Tom is a Cylon
Tom is a Final Five Cylon
Tom is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Tom is an Original Series Cylon

Tomas Vergis is a Tauron computer scientist and competitor of Daniel Graystone in 58 BCH (42YR). Like Daniel, he leads his own computer and robotics corporation, the Vergis Corporation.

In his early years, the Tauron national was educated Caprica and acclimated himself to Caprican life, although he maintained his allegiance to Tauron throughout the majority of his life ^{(CAP: "Know Thy Enemy")}.

A Hand in the Cylon

After his daughter's death in a suicide bombing, Daniel, with the help of Tauron attorney Joseph Adama and his brother Sam Adama, steal Vergis's technology, a meta-cognitive processor (MCP) in order to revive their daughters in robotic bodies, thus creating the first Cylons. Vergis does not take legal action against Daniel or his company, although rumors and suspicions about the theft circulate within the Caprican Ministry of Defense ^{(CAP: "Pilot")}.

Approximately a month and a half after the bombing, Vergis arrives on Caprica and personally confronts Daniel about the theft, informing him that two of his employees―close relatives and friends on Tauron―were murdered in the process. Soon afterward, he offers to buy the Caprica Buccaneers pyramid team from Daniel, reminding him that his company is short on cash and that an infusion of liquidity from the team's sale would give them time to resolve problems with U-87 development. The offer to buy the C-Bucs, however, is revealed to be the first step in a personal vendetta against Graystone for the theft and murders, to strip him of the things he loves and ultimately "tear up your dream."

During this trip, Vergis makes time for a public relations campaign, appearing as a guest on Backtalk with Baxter Sarno and surprising the audience with news that he will permanently relocate to Caprica and apply for Caprican citizenship ^{(CAP: "Know Thy Enemy")}.

Some time later, Vergis visits Amanda Graystone, and tells her about the crimes and her husband's involvement in them ^{(CAP: "Ghosts in the Machine")}. After initially denying it, the information horrifies her and threatens both her marriage and her emotional stability.

Recognizing that the U-87 relies upon stolen technology and that Graystone Industries will be unable to meet its deadline for delivery of one hundred thousand copies of the robot, Colonel Sasha Patel formally offers Vergis the contract for U-87 production, paving the way for him to become the corporation's CEO ^{(CAP: "End of Line")}. As the new public face of Graystone Industries, Vergis proudly boasts the now-successful mass production of U-87s. Behind the scenes, he continues to strip away Daniel's influence over the corporation by, among other things, ordering the destruction of the ruined prototype U-87 ^{(CAP: "Unvanquished")}. Vergis' successes are not enough to preserve his position as CEO. A blackmail campaign orchestrated by Daniel and the Ha'la'tha convinces the board of directors to vote unanimously against him in favor of Daniel ^{(CAP: "Things We Lock Away")}.

Vergis quickly recognizes the hand of the Ha'la'tha in his overthrow, and knows that the crime syndicate will eventually kill him. He visits Daniel and asks for his help in ending his life at a time and manner of his own choosing. For a moment, Vergis seems to agree to Daniel's proposal of an alliance in resisting the Ha'la'tha, but when Daniel relaxes and steps closer to him, Vergis takes advantage of the moment, forces Daniel's hand onto the grip of a knife, and pushes the blade into his own chest ^{(CAP: "Things We Lock Away")}.

Notes

• 

  Roger R. Cross as Vergis from a promotional still, in an abandoned plot line where Amanda Graystone is engaging in an extramarital affair ^{(CAP: "Pilot")}.

  Although reported in various sites that Vergis would be played by Roger R. Cross, he is absent in both the finished pilot and the accompanying deleted scenes. Spoiler TV published a casting call for Vergis indicating that the character was to be introduced in the episode "Know Thy Enemy," which later proved accurate. Remnants of this earlier casting are viewed on Cross's official (albeit outdated) site, in addition to a still from the pilot featuring Vergis as portrayed by Cross displayed at Syfy's official Caprica gallery, having later been removed prior to the introduction of the re-casting.

References

TommyTommy (coach)Tommy Europe

Tom
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Introduced	The Night the Cylons Landed, Part II
Last Appearance	[[{{{lastseen}}}]]
Death	{{{death}}}
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Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	Uncredited
Tom is a Cylon
Tom is a Final Five Cylon
Tom is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Tom is an Original Series Cylon

Tommy is a child who meets Centuri and "Andy" and, later, Wolfman Jack at Arnie's Halloween party. He is dressed as Raggedy Andy ^{(1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part II")}.

Tommy
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Introduced	Spaceball
Last Appearance	[[{{{lastseen}}}]]
Death	{{{death}}}
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Children	{{{children}}}
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Family Tree	View
Role	Camp aide, assistant baseball coach
Rank	{{{rank}}}
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	Uncredited
Tommy is a Cylon
Tommy is a Final Five Cylon
Tommy is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Tommy is an Original Series Cylon

Tommy is Billy Eheres' aide, who informs Jamie Hamilton and Xaviar (under the guise of Lieutenant Nash) that the camp will fall because half their team is out sick for a game that could capture sponsors for their camp.

Amongst his other duties, he also acts as an assistant coach under Eheres ^{(1980: "Spaceball")}.

Notes

• This character's name comes from the shooting script.

Tom
PerformerRallyDaniel Novacek
{{{credit}}}
Portrays:	Rally Daniel Novacek (stunt double)
Date of Birth:	July 27,1970
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month!
Age:	55
Nationality:	CAN
Related Media
		@ BW Media
[{{{site}}} Official Site]
IMDb profile

Tommy Europe (born July 27, 1970, in Toronto, Ontario) is the Canadian actor and stunt performer who portrayed Rally, a member of the Caprica Buccaneers, in "Resistance", "The Farm," and "The Plan." Europe also stunt doubled for Carl Lumbly in "Hero." Aside from "The Plan," all Europe's other appearances are formally uncredited. Before entering the entertainment industry, Europe played eleven seasons as a defensive back in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and has subsequently worked as a personal trainer, television host, and motivational speaker.

Career

Football

Europe attended Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec, where he played college football. He was selected seventh overall — second round — in the 1993 CFL Draft by the BC Lions.

Europe spent four seasons with the Lions (1993–1996), appearing in all 18 regular-season games in each of his first four years. The Lions won the 82nd Grey Cup in 1994, with Europe among the team members honoured by the BC Sports Hall of Fame. He earned CFL West All-Star honours as a defensive back in 1995 and again in 2002.

In 1997, Europe signed with the Montreal Alouettes, where he played two seasons. He then joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1999, remaining with the club through the 2003 season. A hamstring injury limited him to eight games in his final year, and he retired in May 2004 after 175 regular-season games and eleven seasons in the CFL. He also had a brief trial with the New Orleans Saints of the NFL in 1997 between his Lions and Alouettes tenures.

Following his retirement, Europe was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the 1994 BC Lions, the BC Lions Wall of Fame, the BC Football Hall of Fame, and Bishop's University's Wall of Distinction.

Fitness and television

After retiring from professional football, Europe established himself as a personal trainer in Vancouver, founding Tommy Europe Fitness. He was named best personal trainer in The Georgia Straight's Best of Vancouver readers poll in 2006, 2007, and 2009. Beginning in 2007, he starred as the fitness coach on the Slice network reality series The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp and Bulging Brides, running for six seasons. In 2011, HarperCollins Canada published his fitness book The 10-Pound Shred: From Flab to Fit in 4 Weeks.

Stunt and acting work

Europe transitioned into film and television production work as a stunt performer, with early credits including Scary Movie 4 (2006) and Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (2009). Subsequent stunt credits include Deadpool (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018), Skyscraper (2018), The Predator (2018), and Snake Eyes (2021), as well as recurring stunt work across multiple seasons of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Snowpiercer, and The Last of Us. He appeared on screen as Adult Randy Finkle in Totally Killer (2023).

Personal life

Europe is the father of two children. He is a national champion for the Canadian Men's Health Foundation and has served as a KidSport BC ambassador, receiving the KidSport Community Champion Award in 2014.

References

External Sources

For direct navigation sans the tabbed navigational aid above, please select one of the following article links:

• Gay Thomas-Wilson
• Thomas Zarek
• Tom Bower
• Tom DeFalco
• Tom DeSanto
• Tom Rogers
• Tomas
• Tomas Vergis
• Tommy
• Tommy (coach)
• Tommy Europe
• Alexandra Thomas