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Adama

2007-04-20T22:22:28Z

Howlader: Apollo is a Major, not a Commander

'''Adama''' is the name of battlestar ''[[Galactica (TOS)|Galactica's]]'' commanding officer and spiritual leader in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original "Battlestar Galactica" series]], and the surname of battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica's]]'' commander and his family in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]].

=== From the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] ===

* [[Adama (TOS)|Commander Adama]], military leader, patriarch, President of the [[Quorum of Twelve (TOS)|Quorum of Twelve]], and commander of the battlestar [[Galactica (TOS)|''Galactica'']]

===From [[Galactica 1980]] ===

* [[Adama (1980)|Commander Adama]], military leader, patriarch, President of the [[Quorum of Twelve (TOS)|Quorum of Twelve]], and commander of the battlestar [[Galactica (TOS)|''Galactica'']] (30 years later)

=== From the [[Video Game]] ===

* [[William Adama (Video Game)|Lt. William "Husker" Adama]], orphaned [[Viper (Video Game)|Viper]] pilot on ''[[Galactica (Video Game)|Galactica]]'' in a separate continuity from either Original or Re-imagined Series.

=== From the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-Imagined Series]] ===

* Admiral [[William Adama]] of the battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', [[BSG 75]].
* Major [[Lee Adama]], the [[CAG]] of battlestar ''Galactica''. Formerly commander of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''. Brother of [[Zak Adama|Zak]] and son of [[William Adama|William]] and [[Carolanne Adama]].
* [[Zak Adama]] (deceased), brother of [[Lee Adama|Lee]] and son of [[William Adama|William]] and [[Carolanne Adama]].
* [[Carolanne Adama]], wife of [[William Adama|William]], mother of [[Zak Adama|Zak]] and [[Lee Adama|Lee]].
* [[Joseph Adama]], father of [[William Adama|William]].
* [[Evelyn Adama]], mother of [[William Adama|William]].

{{disambig}}

William Adama

2006-10-12T21:16:39Z

Howlader: Changed link at the bottom to refer to the vessel Galactica, rather than the franchise.

:''For information on William Adama's [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Original Series]] counterpart, see [[Adama (TOS)]].''

{{Character Data
|photo=Season3 Promot William Adama.jpg
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= William Adama
|callsign= Husker
|seen= Miniseries
|death=
|parents= [[Joseph Adama]] (father)
|siblings=
|children= [[Lee Adama]] (alive), [[Zak Adama]] (deceased)
|marital status= Divorced ([[Caroline Adama]]), remarried to [[Anne Adama]]
|role=Commanding Officer, [[Battlestar (RDM)|Battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]''; Supreme Commander of the [[Colonial Fleet]]
|rank=Rear Admiral
|cylon=
|actor=[[Edward James Olmos]]
}}

Admiral '''William Adama''', a veteran of the [[Cylon War]], is the commanding officer of the [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', and the highest ranking officer left in the [[Colonial Fleet]].

== Background ==

*William Adama was born on Caprica, the son of [[Joseph Adama]]. His father was an attorney specializing in civil liberties ([[Litmus]]).

*Adama served late in the [[Cylon War]] as a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot. He allegedly gained the call sign of "Husker" on account of his baritone "gravelled" voice. He proved a gifted pilot, shooting down his first [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] on his very first mission.
*He racked-up his 1,000th deck landing while serving aboard battlestar ''[[Atlantia]]'' ([[Act of Contrition]]), when he held the rank of Lieutenant.
*In the last week in the war, Adama served on ''[[Galactica]]'' when the battlestar was boarded by Cylon forces. He recalled to his friend and fellow war veteran [[Saul Tigh]] of a dangerous Cylon tactic that tried to turn the battlestar's power against itself ([[Scattered]], deleted scene).
*Following the Cylon armistice, William Adama married [[Caroline Adama]] and had two sons, [[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama|Zak]], before the pressures of Adama's career and the time he spent away from home of active service began to place a strain on their marriage, and the two eventually divorce.

[[Image:Youngadamafamily.jpg|thumb|left|A young William Adama and his two sons.]]

*Furloughed by [[Colonial Fleet]] after the war's end, Adama found work on a civilian freighter where he met [[Saul Tigh]], who was to become a longtime friend.
*Adama married a second time to [[Anne Adama]]. Anne's family had political influence with the defense subcommittee and pulled to get Adama reinstated to the [[Colonial Fleet]]. Adama himself arranged for Tigh's reinstatement a few years later.
*While elder son Lee Adama showed promise as a Viper pilot, younger Zak Adama did not. [[Kara Thrace]], Zak's flight instructor and lover, certified him for basic flight despite young Adama's poor flight skills. Later, Zak Adama was killed in an operational flight. Zak's death would cause a rift between he and his older son for nearly [[Act of Contrition|three years]] until Thrace admits her error to Bill Adama.
*Adama has the rare combination of qualities that make up a good leader: insight, the ability to naturally command respect, a common touch that enables him to relate to the enlisted personnel under his command as well as his officers, intuition, intelligence, a strong belief in his own abilities, and the ability to take the advice of others. These qualities are reflected in the fact the personnel of all ranks aboard ''Galactica'' hold him in high regard, and know that he is approachable ([[Miniseries]]).
*Adama mistrusts politicians, and sometimes places too strongly a value of loyalty to those he regards as family and friends. From his uneasiness to [[Laura Roslin]]'s unexpected assumption of the Presidency, to the tolerance and patience of his friend, [[Saul Tigh]], and his stubborness to save Kara Thrace ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]), Adama shows a dogged determination that few others care to confront.

== Character History at a Glance ==
*At the time of the [[Miniseries]], William Adama serves out his final weeks as commander of the battlestar ''[[Galactica]]''. After some 50 years of service, the historic warship is in the process of being decommissioned, and it was one of Adama's final duties to formally hand her over to the [[Colonial Ministry of Education]], which would operate the ship as a living museum and educational center commemorating the original Cylon War.
*As a retirement gift, several members of [[Galen Tyrol]]'s deck crew find and restore Adama's old [[Viper Mark II]].
*On news of a renewed Cylon attack, Adama's first thoughts are, "Dead. We're all dead" ([[Home, Part II]]). Despite this, as well as the presumed loss of his wife in Caprica City, he manages to shepherd [[The Fleet (RDM)|the last of humanity]] to safety.
[[image:Mini_Adama_Tigh_DRADIS.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] and Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] plot a course to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] in the [[Miniseries]].]]
*When [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Picon|Picon]] Fleet Headquarters is destroyed and then Admiral [[Nagala]] is killed, he unhesitatingly takes control of the Colonial's response to the Cylon incursion and starts defining a response to the onslaught. Once President Roslin convinces Adama the futility of fighting against overwhelming odds, and with what may be the last 50,000 humans that remain anywhere, he makes the switch to the more tactical thinking that keeps the Colonial fleet at least one step ahead of their Cylon pursuers.
*From the outset, he is savvy enough to give every single survivor of the devastating attack on the Colonies a reason for hope for the future: the legend of Earth. This falsehood [[Tomb of Athena|comes back to haunt him]] as the weeks continue, as Roslin is aware of this lie to the crew and states this privately to Adama.
*Adama continues to face the problem of infiltration within the Fleet by [[Cylon agent]]s as well as [[Demand Peace|dissenting humans who protest or terrorize]] others in the Fleet. Adama continually redefines the boundaries of military and civil leadership. After some [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|serious missteps between he and President Roslin]], the two later become friends as well as influential leaders.
*[[Sharon Valerii]], a trusted [[Raptor]] pilot that served with Adama for two years, reveals herself unwittingly as a Cylon sleeper agent and shoots Adama at point blank range after a [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|critical mission near Kobol]]. Cottle [[Fragged|eventually repairs]] the damage to Adama's body, but Adama's psyche takes the larger hit while he repairs the [[Resistance|damage to the Fleet]] he and Col. Tigh have caused in arresting President Roslin, as well as the existence of a second copy of Valerii.
[[image:Home_pt1-Adama.jpg|thumb|Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] paints a model boat while talking to [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] in "[[Home, Part I]]."]]
*While at first Adama takes a similar stance to Tigh in assuming a hard military posture, a conversation with [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] helps him realize that, despite the problems, the Fleet is his family, and the family must stay together. After finding the [[Tomb of Athena]] with Roslin and reuniting a [[Laura Roslin faction|factioning of the Fleet]], Adama firmly buries the hatchet between he and Roslin publicly.
*In a desperate plan, Adama trusts the second Valerii to help ward off a massive Cylon fleet. Adama ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]). Despite his "gut" feelings about the Cylon, he finds common ground often with her, even [[Resurrection Ship, Part I|apologizing to her]] after a distasteful incident.
*Adama stoically accepts Admiral [[Helena Cain]]'s overall command. Wary of her behavior and her crew, Adama follows his own truism: stick to what you know, until you find something better.
*Matters with Cain's unusually totalitarian command style come to a head when Cain makes several highly questionable orders that lead him to face off with her battlestar and her command in a [[Pegasus (episode)|military challenge]]. While the issue is temporarily defused, Adama is told by, of all people, President Roslin that Cain is a threat to the safety of the Fleet's citizens and must be eliminated.
*Adama avoids killing Cain after realizing that he would become the monster that the Cylons believed they were, unaware that she has plotted his demise as well.
*With Cain's fate sealed not by Adama but [[Gina]], a frail President Roslin promotes Adama to Admiral. He gives her a simple, affectionate kiss, which she returns, signifying another change in their turbulent association.
*Adama's sense of justice with Roslin holds when he confronts her about a conspiracy involving her re-election. Roslin admits the conspiracy but she is certain disaster will strike if [[Gaius Baltar]] becomes president. He agrees, but convinces Roslin that the correct course of action is to acknowledge a miscount and cover the conspiracy.
*When ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' and two other ships blow up as a result of [[Gina]]'s last effort of sabotage, Adama is privately infuriated at new President Baltar's refusal to investigate, and begins to wonder if he hadn't made a mistake.

==Currently...==

*A year later, Adama commands a heavily under-staffed ''Galactica'' as the flagship of a defense fleet, consisting of all ships unable or unwilling to make planetfall on [[New Caprica]]. He now sports a thick mustache, and has apparently taken up smoking.
*Adama convinces [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] to rejoin Ellen in [[New Caprica City]] after months of debate, with [[Helo]] acting as his new XO.
*Not long after Tigh leaves, a massive Cylon fleet bears down on New Caprica. After a brief discussion with Commander Lee Adama ([[The Captain's Hand|aboard ''Pegasus'']]), they order the Fleet to escape to pre-arranged Jump coordinates.
*The admiral issues the Jump order with a reminder: "We're leaving... but we'll be back."

==Additional Notes==
*[[Wikipedia:Adama|Adama]] (also known as Nazareth) is the name of a large city in Ethiopia. The name is also a variation on "[[Wikipedia:Adam and Eve|Adam]]," the first man to be created according to the Bible in the [[Wikipedia:Genesis|Book of Genesis]]. In Hebrew the word pronounced "Adama" means earth.
*Edward James Olmos has brown eyes, but he wears contacts when playing William Adama that make Adama's eyes blue. This is done so that Olmos and [[Jamie Bamber]], who is playing his son Apollo, will resemble each other more.
*Astute viewers may recall Edward James Olmos sharing the screen with realistic humanoid robots as Gaff in the classic science fiction film "Blade Runner". Olmos also shares with ''Star Trek'' star William Shatner the distinction of being one of only two actors to both command a television starship and portray a police officer in a popular 1980's cop show ("Miami Vice" for Olmos, "T.J. Hooker" for Shatner).

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William Adama

2006-04-19T22:41:39Z

Howlader: "We're leaving...but we'll be back."

{{Character Data|
|photo= [[Image:William Adama promo.jpg|200px]]
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= William Adama
|callsign= Husker
|death=
|parents= [[Evelyn Adama]] (mother), [[Joseph Adama]] (father)
|siblings=
|children= [[Lee Adama]] (alive), [[Zak Adama]] (deceased)
|marital status= Divorced ([[Caroline Adama]]), remarried to [[Anne Adama]]
|role=Commanding Officer, [[Battlestar (RDM)|Battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]''; Supreme Commander of the [[Colonial Fleet]]
|rank=Admiral
|cylon=
|actor=[[Edward James Olmos]]
|name=
}}

Admiral '''William Adama''' is the commanding officer of the [[Battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', and the highest ranking officer left in the [[Colonial Fleet]].

== Biographical Notes ==

=== Background ===

William Adama was born on Caprica to [[Evelyn Adama|Evelyn]] and [[Joseph Adama]]. His mother was an accountant and his father, an attorney specializing in civil liberties ([[Litmus]]). They divorced while he was in his teens.

At the outbreak of the first [[Cylon War]], Adama was serving in the [[Colonial Fleet]] as a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot. He allegedly gained the call sign of "Husker" on account of his baritone "gravelled" voice. He proved to be a gifted pilot, shooting down his first [[Cylon]] on his very first mission. He racked-up his 1,000th deck landing while serving aboard the Battlestar ''[[Atlantia]]'' ([[Act of Contrition]]), when he held the rank of Lieutenant.

Adama served on ''[[Galactica]]'' during the war as a pilot. In the last week of the war, the battlestar was boarded by Cylon forces. He recalled to his friend and fellow war veteran [[Saul Tigh]] that the Cylons divided into two teams. One headed for the ship's [[Aft Damage Control|secondary damage control]] and vented the atmosphere, while the other proceded to [[Auxiliary Fire Control|auxiliary fire control]] and turned ''Galactica'''s guns against the fleet. Over 2,000 people died in the attack ([[Valley of Darkness]], [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season02/202/deleted1.html deleted scene]).

Following the Cylon armistice, William Adama married [[Caroline Adama|Caroline]]. They had two sons together: [[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama|Zak]], before the pressures of Adama's career and the time he spent away from home of active service began to place a strain on their marriage. Nevertheless, this did not stop both Lee and Zak following their father into the service - both signing-up for training as Viper pilots.

[[Image:Youngadamafamily.jpg|thumb|left|A young William Adama and his two sons.]]

A photograph seen in the Miniseries seems to imply that Adama was still in the fleet when his children were roughly six to eight years old, but within a few years he had been discharged as the result of a reduction-in-force. His marriage to Caroline had apparently fully deteriorated by this point, and he found work on a civilian freighter where he met [[Saul Tigh]], who was to become a longtime friend.

After some time as a civilian, Adama married a second time, to a woman named [[Anne Adama|Anne]]. Her father was able to pull some strings with the defense subcomittee and Adama was reinstated to the [[Colonial Fleet]]. Adama himself arranged for Tigh's reinstatement a few years later.

=== Son's Death ===

During his training, Zak Adama became involved with his flight training officer, Lt. [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]], to whom he became engaged shortly before taking his final qualifying flight ([[Act of Contrition]]). As a result of this, Thrace allowed her personal feelings interfere with her professional judgement, passing Zak Adama through flight school when she should have failed him ([[Miniseries]]). Zak was later killed in an operational flight.

As a result of his son's death, Adama faced the failure of his marriage and estrangement from his eldest son, Lee. However, to counter this, he became acquainted with Kara Thrace, and such was the bond that formed between them, Thrace transferred from flight school to one of the Battlestar ''Galactica's'' squadrons, where she served with Adama for some two years before the Cylon's reappearance ([[Act of Contrition]]).

Adama is a natural military leader, as demonstrated by his rise to rank of Commander in charge of a Colonial battlestar. He has the rare combination of qualities that make up a good leader: insight, the ability to naturally command respect, a common touch that enables him to relate to the enlisted personnel under his command as well as his officers, intuition, intelligence, a strong belief in his own abilities, and the ability to take the advice of others. These qualities are reflected in the fact the personnel of all ranks aboard ''Galactica'' hold him in high regard, and know that his is approachable ([[Miniseries]]).

If Adama has any failings, they are his mistrust of politicians and his strong sense of loyalty to those he regards as family and friends. The former is demonstrated in his uneasy acceptance of [[Laura Roslin]] ([[Miniseries]], "[[33]]", "[[Water]]"), which is quickly undermined by Roslin's own doubts following her encounter with [[Leoben Conoy]] ([[Flesh and Bone]]). The latter is most clearly demonstrated by both his support of Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] and his actions when Kara Thrace is posted as Missing in Action.

Despite Tigh's obvious drinking problem ([[Miniseries]]), Adama retains him as his [[Executive officer]] when another commanding officer might have too easily transferred Tigh to a planetside desk job to avoid the embarrassment. While this demonstrated Adama's unstinting friendship for Tigh, it does the colonel no favors with the officers and crew under his command - many of whom are openly dismissive of him ([[Miniseries]]) - a fact that may encourage his drinking.

With Thrace, Adama's loyalty places the mission to find her above the need to protect [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] and ensure the survival of humanity - thus putting everyone at risk ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]).

=== Surprise [[Cylon Attack]] ===

At the time of the Cylon's sudden attack on the Twelve Colonies, William Adama is serving out his final weeks as commander of the battlestar ''[[Galactica]]''. After some 50 years of service, the historic warship is in the process of being decommissioned, and it was one of Adama's final duties to formally hand her over to the [[Colonial Ministry of Education]] (by way of Education Secretary [[Laura Roslin]]) who would operate the ship as a living museum commemorating the original Cylon War and an educational center ([[Miniseries]]).

As a part of the decommissioning ceremonies, someone decides it would be a fitting tribute to have Lee Adama, recently-promoted to the rank of Captain, lead an honor flyby of Vipers - an ironic statement at best, given the strained relationship between the two men. The situation is not made any easier when Lee Adama finds he is to fly his father's battle-honored old Mark II Viper.

When he is first notified of the Cylon attack, Adama's first thoughts were, "Dead. We're all dead" ([[Home, Part II]]). Despite this, as well as the presumed loss of his wife in Caprica City, he manages to shepherd [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] to safety. Since the attack on the Twelve Colonies, Adama strives to lead the remnants of humanity with the same conviction as has marked his entire military career. Military discipline remains (mostly) intact aboard ''Galactica'', and she continues to operate as a top-rate warship, despite her lack of any other military support (up to the discovery of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'') and despite her reduced complement in terms of both fighters and crew.

[[image:Mini_Adama_Tigh_DRADIS.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] and Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] plot a course to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] in the [[Miniseries]].]]
As a combat veteran, Adama is more than capable of both strategic and tactical operations and making the decisions both require. When [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Picon|Picon]] Fleet Headquarters is destroyed and then Admiral [[Nagala]] is killed, he unhesitatingly takes control of the Colonial's response to the Cylon incursion and starts defining a response to the onslaught. Once President Roslin convinces Adama the futility of fighting against overwhelming odds, and with what may be the last 50,000 humans that remain anywhere, he makes the switch to the more tactical thinking that keeps the Colonial fleet at least one step ahead of their Cylon pursuers. From the outset, he is savvy enough to give every single survivor of the devastating attack on the Colonies a reason for hope for the future: the legend of Earth. This falsehood comes back to haunt him as the weeks continue, as Roslin is aware of this lie to the crew and states this privately to Adama.

Away from the daily rigours of command, Adama continues to face the problem of infiltration within the Fleet by [[Cylon agent]]s. ("[[Litmus]]", "[[Flesh and Bone]]", "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]") and the possibility of saboteurs aboard ''Galactica'' and the Fleet ([[Water]]) - sabateurs who are still be at large, waiting for an opportunity to strike again. Adama has also had to redefine the boundaries of military and civil leadership, working as best he can with Laura Roslin, now recognized as the President of the people of the Twelve Colonies following the loss of practically all of the original Colonial [[government]].

Events since the Cylon attack causes Adama to reconcile with his son, Lee. While they do not always see eye-to-eye, the needs of ''Galactica's'' crew and humanity as a whole have enabled them to better understand one another and move past their differences.

Following the loss of seven of the ''Galactica's'' pilots, Adama is forced to face the truth concerning Zak Adama's death, and Kara Thrace's role within it. In a strange way, these two events are something of a catalyst for one another - Thrace's admission to Adama forces him to realize how precious his remaining son is to him, and how difficult a father he must have been ("[[You Can't Go Home Again]]", "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]"); Adama's ability to admit his love and respect for his son enables the elder Adama to overcome his anger towards Thrace after her admission to him ([[Act of Contrition]]).

===Kobol and Earth===
At the start of the exodus from the Twelve Colonies, Adama uses the legend of Earth as a means of binding the remnants of humanity together with a single hope. Unfortunately, this later causes the greatest rift in leadership within the Colonial fleet. Following the accidental discovery of [[Kobol]], which [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] sees pre-ordained in scripture, Adama finds himself confronted by what amounts to a court-martial situation. With members of his crew -- and the Vice President, [[Gaius Baltar]] -- trapped on the surface of Kobol, Adama orders Kara Thrace to use a captured [[Cylon Raider]] to destroy a Cylon [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] in orbit above Kobol. However, President Roslin persuades Thrace to use the Raider to go to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] to retrieve the [[Arrow of Apollo]] at [[Delphi]] ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]).

This action results in Adama terminating Roslin's presidency in what amounts to a coup, only to find [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] forced to arrest [[Lee Adama]] for mutiny while on ''[[Colonial One]]'' to remove President Roslin from office. With Thrace gone, Adama dispatches [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Lieutenant Valerii]] to destroy the basestar over Kobol. While the mission is successful, Valerii's Cylon programming reveals itself and shoots Adama at point blank range as he thanks her for her work on her return ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]). Adama's injuries are left untreated when a second basestar suddenly appears, forcing ''Galactica'' and the Fleet to perform an emergency [[FTL|Jump]].

Unfortunately, the chaos of the situation leaves ''Galactica'' without the same Jump coordinates as the Fleet, and the battlestar is separated in another area of space ([[Scattered]]). Worst of all, Dr. [[Cottle]], the Fleet's only doctor, is on one of the other ships in the Fleet. While Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] determines how to return to the Fleet, and as ''Galactica'' is raided by a [[Cylon Centurion]] boarding party, the [[Layne Ishay|medics]] on hand stabilize the commander's condition long enough for Dr. Cottle to return. After a lengthy and risky operation, Cottle repairs the damage to Adama's body.

Adama rests unconscious while Tigh declares martial law to counteract Roslin's supporters in the [[Quorum of Twelve]]. Roslin escapes the ship with Lee Adama's help, and hide throughout the fleet as Adama regains consciousness and returns to command. Roslin gains sufficient support and returns to Kobol, convincing over a third of the Fleet to Jump to Kobol in search of the path to Earth. Adama is incensed as, being a man with generally secular beliefs, he never truly believed in the existence of Earth of the Pythian scriptures and (incorrectly) feels that most others believe the same.
[[image:Home_pt1-Adama.jpg|thumb|300px|Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] paints a model boat while talking to [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] in "[[Home, Part I]]."]]
Adama's calm exterior barely holds back the helplessness and rage he feels over the betrayal of his son, Sharon Valerii, Roslin, and over 18,000 others that left with Roslin for Kobol. While at first Adama takes a similar stance to Tigh in assuming a hard military posture, a conversation with Petty Officer [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] helps him realize again (as Dualla and [[Billy Keikeya]] showed him before the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage]]) that, despite the problems, the Fleet is his family, and the family must stay together. He orders the remainder of the Fleet to prepare to return to Kobol ([[Home, Part I]]).

Adama's attitude about Roslin and her quest changes from anger to genuine interest as he and his command staff track the likeliest location where Roslin's group searches for the [[Tomb of Athena]]. Rather than being skeptical about Roslin's visions, for instance, Adama begins to take them as face value, considering that data just as useful as the maps in front of him. Realizing that only he could reach out to Roslin to reunite the Fleet ("It was always between us anyway"), Adama leaves ''Galactica'' to Tigh's command while he, Tyrol, [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]], and Keikeya head to Kobol to find Roslin's group.

Adama greets his son, Lee, with raised guns, accidentally surprising Roslin's camp. Adama hugs his son and warmly greets Roslin and Thrace. However, on seeing the Caprica-based version of Sharon Valerii, Adama examines her eerily, grabs her by the throat and hurls her down to the ground while the camp tries to explain the reason why she was in camp. "I want you to die" was all that Adama could express before his pent-up anger became more physical, the exertions from his recovery catching up to him. He rolls off Valerii with aid, clutching his chest. Adama is given an explanation but remains understandably wary of this new copy of the [[Cylon agent]].

Adama and Roslin have a talk unlike any other they've shared in the past, both calling each other by their first names, casually. Adama tells Roslin that he forgives her for her actions in the past weeks, and leaves the apology stand even when Roslin casually notes that she wasn't asking for his permission. When Roslin speaks of the [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] on Caprica and whether ''Galactica'' and her Fleet should have returned to fight instead of leaving from Ragnar Anchorage, Adama rejects the notion, saying he did not come to Kobol to "navel gaze" at what they could have done. He thanks Laura for saving him, his son, and the Fleet, for if he did not follow Roslin's advice to leave the system before the fight at Ragnar, he believes they would have all died.

Moments after discovering the entrance to the Tomb of Athena, Caprica-Valerii raises a gun at Adama's chest while [[Meier]], one of [[Tom Zarek]]'s men, raises his gun to Lee Adama, who is now aiming at Valerii. Meier was attempting an assassination of both Adamas to allow Zarek more political power after Roslin's demise, trying to use Valerii as a pawn to remove attention from Zarek. Immediately, Valerii turns her gun to Meier and fires. Lee Adama picks off a second shooter, while Valerii explains to Adama that she is fully aware of who she is and that, unlike her ''Galactica'' counterpart known as Boomer, she does not have hidden protocols or programming. She surrenders her weapon to Adama. Adama's feelings on Valerii remain guarded as she is placed in the special cage created for her counterpart on their return to ''Galactica.''

Adama enters the Tomb with Roslin, Lee, Kara, and Billy, the rest left guarded by Tyrol. The group successfully activates the map with the [[Arrow of Apollo]] and gain useful information on the true whereabouts of Earth. Back on ''Galactica'', Adama firmly buries the hatchet between he and Roslin publically by introducing Roslin as the President for a speech to members of the fleet, and leads a formal, unified ovation by applause for Roslin ([[Home, Part II]]).

===Common Ground===

To help undo the damage to the military's reputation in the Fleet after the "''[[Gideon]]'' incident", President Roslin and Adama give a [[Fleet News Service]] reporter, [[D'anna Biers]], unlimited access of the ship to interview the crew and watch their work and off-shift behavior. Bier's resulting documentary is very moving, and Adama gives his approval to release it for airing to the Fleet, who believes it shows the best of his crew, "warts and all". Adama is not aware that Biers is a Cylon infiltrator that has also passed out intelligence to her counterparts on Caprica of the existance and pregnancy of Helo's copy of Sharon Valerii ([[Final Cut]]).

''Galactica'' is beset by mysterious malfunctions throughout the ship. Worse, crew morale is very low, with no relief, little true recreation, and a sense of no future plagues many throughout the ship. Even the stoic and reliable Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] vents his frustration to the surprise of everyone in [[CIC]]. Deck Chief [[Galen Tyrol]], fighting his own sense of hopelessness, begins a project to build a replacement fighter from spare parts. Over time, others in the ship join in on the "pet project". Despite the need to stop the increasing malfunctions, Adama is reluctant to stop work on Tyrol's project unless necessary as it gives the crew a creative outlet. Some time later, after the new fighter completes its maiden flight, Adama and Roslin christen the new stealth fighter, the [[Blackbird]]. Adama tells Roslin that the crew's nicknaming the fighter "Laura" was a honor they wanted to do for the President, given her service to them as well as their feelings about her illness.

Adama solicits the help of the incarcerated Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii, ordering [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] to show her a portion of the Cylon virus code found in the ship's computers. She reacts in shock and tells Adama that this code was part of a [[logic bomb]] that will take over the battlestar, killing its crew and directing its guns at the remaining Fleet to destroy it. She also strongly believes, as did Adama, that this bomb was an indication of an imminent Cylon attack. Lieutenant Gaeta and [[Gaius Baltar]] devise a way to rid themselves of the bomb, but during this process, the battlestar would be practically defenseless. Adama needs a way to stop the incoming Cylon forces and asks President Roslin for advice on trusting the second Valerii for help. She responds by asking him to find common ground between Valerii and himself, despite his prejudices about her. In a desperate plan, Adama brings Valerii to CIC, where she uses her Cylon brain to send a virus back to the massive Cylon fleet that appears, deactivating every single enemy fighter. ''Galactica's'' Vipers easily destroy all enemy Raiders without a single casualty ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).

===The Discovery of Battlestar ''Pegasus''===

The sudden discovery of the [[Mercury class battlestar|advanced battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', commanded by Admiral [[Helena Cain]], is a very welcome event for Adama and his war-weary crew, and surely brings additional hope to the civilian fleet. But Cain's command staff--as well as her crew--seem oddly power-hungry, angrily disciplined, and, perhaps, the perfect reason why the Cylons might decide the human race should be annihilated. Adama, a soldier accustomed to taking orders, puts on a stoic face as Cain assumes command of the fleet. Not even Adama's relaxed smile convinces Laura Roslin of Adama's attitude when she asks how he was handling his change in command. Her guess was correct: something about the Admiral bothers Adama, but he is reluctant to discuss it. Adama follows his own truism about the Admiral: stick to what you know, until you find something better.

Adama's troubles with Cain begin with her choice to furnish supplies only to ''Galactica'' and not the civilian fleet, a point that Roslin hopes Adama would be able to correct. After Cain reads Adama's ship logs of the last 3 months, Cain reassigns Lieutenant Thrace and his son, Lee, to her ship. She explains that Adama was too close to his son, that Starbuck was an insubordinate officer that required structure, and that Adama had let military discipline become lax. Adama's stony face barely hides his anger, which he partially releases on Apollo and Starbuck as he orders them without commentary to transfer to ''Pegasus.'' Cain makes some valid observations about lax discipline on ''Galactica'', so Adama grudgingly accepts her re-shuffling of personnel.

Matters with Cain's unusually totalitarian command style come to a head when Cain orders her "Cylon interrogator", Lieutenant [[Alistair Thorne]], to interrogate the normally cooperative [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii]]. Thorne's method of "interrogation" was sexual assault. Lt. Agathon and Tyrol discover the truth of Thorne from members of ''Pegasus''' crew. They rush to Valerii's cell and stop Thorne, accidentally killing him. Adama is given assurances by Cain that the arrested men will be tried fairly on her ship, but she refuses to assemble a tribunal to conduct the trial.

A few hours later, Adama is told that Agathon and Tyrol were tried and convicted--and solely by Cain herself. Cain claims that wartime status granted her extra powers, but Adama disagrees, realizing that his fleet wasn't on an offensive posture and requires cooperation and not military rule, as ''Galactica'' could have done long ago at Ragnar Anchorage by fighting to win and abandoning the civilian fleet. Adama's stony acceptance of taking orders from the renegade admiral immediately ceases. He orders the alert Vipers and a Raptor--filled with [[marines]]--to head to ''Pegasus'' to retrieve his men, and Cain deploys her Vipers. Adama is headed into yet another fight for the survival of his Fleet--his family--against a vastly superior force, and it doesn't seem to matter to him one wit if it is the Cylon fleet, or Cain's hostile, warmongering forces ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).

The standoff between the battlestars fortunately doesn't begin with an exchange of any fire from battlestars or fighters. However, Adama watches as his Vipers dance with ''Pegasus'' Vipers in a deadly game of "chicken", with ''Pegasus'' pilots attempting to force ''Galactica's'' fighters to fire first, which, by rules of engagement, would authorize return fire. Adama keeps silent, awaiting the inevitable collision or misfire that will start the bloodshed when Lt. Gaeta picks up what appears to be a [[Raider]] that manages to get ''very'' close to the Fleet without an earlier [[DRADIS]] alert. Picking up the surprise target as well, ''Pegasus'' fighters stop the chicken game and fly formation with Adama's fighters to intercept the target. The target turns out to be Kara Thrace in the [[Blackbird]], returning from her unauthorized but very successful self-appointed reconnaissance mission to the mysterious Cylon ship that trails the Fleet. Her sudden entrance allows a ''detente'' between the battlestar commanders, who meet on ''Colonial One''. There, President Roslin gives both commanders a harsh grilling and reminds them of the importance of the Fleet's survival and the intentions of the Cylon fleet following them. Adama appears actually chastized about the situation and remains quiet, except when Roslin patronizes Cain in saying that ''Pegasus'' would triumph in a firefight with ''Galactica'' ("I wouldn't count on that," he simply says). After Cain leaves, Roslin speaks with Adama privately and, to Adama's surprise, suggests that he kill Cain before she kills him and destroys the Fleet for her own wartime devices. Adama leaves to think about it, unsure if he could be an assassin.

Adama apologizes to the most unlikely person: the copy of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], who was sexually assaulted by ''Pegasus'' Lieutenant [[Alistair Thorne]]. While Valerii shows signs of shock and anger, Dr. [[Cottle]] acknowledges she and her unborn baby are mostly unharmed. Adama asks Cottle to see that ''she'' is OK (not calling her "it") and orders her returned to her cell after her care. Afterwards, Adama visits the port [[hangar deck]], appearing as to get Viper flight status, but in reality is there to learn a little about [[Peter Laird]], his interim deck chief from ''Pegasus''. Realizing he's not military, Adama asks more from [[Cally]], who says that rumors indicate that Laird was from a civilian fleet once guarded by ''Pegasus''. A conversation with Colonel Tigh and Jack Fisk confirms the worst: ''Pegasus'' abandoned its civilian fleet, but not without conscripting many civilians into military service and stripping supplies and fuel from it, leaving what remained of the ships to fend for themselves. Resistance was quelled by shooting the families of those who would not leave with the battlestar, Fisk said.

Adama's relationship with Roslin grows closer. He visits her in bed, not looking at all well, but jovial nonetheless. Adama inquires of her unusually "bloody-minded" attitude towards Cain; Roslin replies that as long as Cain survives, his future and that of the Fleet is at risk. He asks if she needs anything, and Roslin humorously suggests she'd like a nice, young [[Cylon agent|Cylon body]] to replace her own. When Adama says he can't picture her as a blonde, Roslin smiles and says that he'd be surprised. As he leaves, wiping a tear from his eye as he turns back to the president, Roslin reminds him to watch his back, and do what he has to do.

After a briefing on the upcoming battle to destroy the [[Resurrection Ship]] and its fleet, attended by Cain and Adama, Adama requests permission to speak more with Kara Thrace on the battle tactics, which Cain grants as she returns to ''Pegasus''. Adama dismisses his son, cryptically telling him "Stay focused, son," while he asks the unusual from Thrace. After the battle, Adama asks her to enter the ''Pegasus'' CIC, with Lee Adama by her side to cover her, and to shoot Admiral Cain in the head. Little does Adama know that Admiral Cain has planned a similar assassination attempt with her XO and several members of her Marine division.

Lieutenant Lee Adama visits his father by volunteering for a courier run between the battlestars. The elder Adama doesn't want to talk too much about the operation, but is happy to see him. Adama continues his new pattern of seeking advice from unusual places by inviting his copy of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] to his quarters to ask her why the Cylons hate the humans so much. She can't answer the question directly, but asks him to remember something in the speech he gave at the decommissioning ceremony ([[Miniseries]]): Has humanity asked itself ''why'' it deserved to survive, given all its failings?

With the battle to destroy the Resurrection Ship a success, Adama has an opportunity to have Starbuck shoot Cain, but takes the advice of Valerii again and chooses to be better than what humans have become. Strangely, Cain also aborts her attempt on Adama's command and life, something that greatly relieves [[Jack Fisk]], who laughs out loud and invites the crew for a drink.

Cain's fate is sealed not by Adama but [[Gina]], the captured and tortured Cylon agent, who shoots and kills the admiral in her quarters. After Cain's funeral, on ''Colonial One'', President Roslin, looking very frail, promotes Adama to Admiral, joking that some people may not think she knew much about military protocol, but that she knows that a commander of two or more capital ships should be an admiral. Adama smiles, says that he's never given up hope about getting admiral rank, but stopped chasing them after a while. Roslin appears ready to retire and has trouble standing, when Adama helps lift and steady her. In a pleasant surprise, now-Admiral Adama takes Laura Roslin's face in hand and gives her a simple, affectionate kiss, which she returns to smiles on both faces. [[Billy Keikeya]] helps the president back to her quarters while Adama's smile turns into sadness over Roslin's illness.

=== Admiral Adama ===

Shortly after the Battle of the Resurrection Ship, it is clear that Roslin is nearing death. In her final moments, Roslin orders Adama to kill Caprica-Valerii's [[Hera|unborn child]]. Adama cannot bring himself to terminate the pregnancy, and it is shortly revealed that it is a good thing he hesitated: Baltar finds a cure for Roslin's cancer within the child's blood. Roslin is saved and Adama is visibly pleased that she has pulled through. Meanwhile, Adama becomes aware of the [[Demand Peace]] movement among the fleet. Adama meets with [[Royan Jahee]], the leader of the movement, and attempts to explain that the Cylons don't want peace, they want too annihilate every lving human being. Jahee doesn't believe Adama, and the meeting ends with the two men in no different places than where they started.

===The Election and the "Lighthouse Keeper"===
Adama offers ''Galactica'' as the location for the counting of ballots during the Presidential Election, a proposal which is accepted despite Zarek's protests over the ships connection with Roslin. Unknown to Adama, Tigh and Dualla conspire to rig the election in favor President Roslin out of mistrust for Dr. Baltar (an opinion which Adama shares). Not long after the polls close and she is declared the winner, Lt. Gaeta contacts the admiral with his suspicions that Tigh attempted to rig the election. When confronted, Roslin admits that she gave her aid, Tory Foster, permission to "try something," out of almost desperation; she is certain disaster will strike if Baltar is elected and begs Adama to keep quiet by telling him of Baltar's involvement with [[Caprica-Six|Six]]. Adama isn't swayed, and convinces Roslin that the correct course of action is to acknowledge a miscount and cover the conspiracy. When President-Elect Baltar demands an investigation into the midcount, an irritated Adama orders him to take his victory and leave, which Baltar does grudgingly.

When [[Cloud Nine]] and two other ships blow up as a result of [[Gina]]'s nuclear bomb, Adama is privately infuriated at Baltar's refusal to investigate, and begins to wonder if he hadn't made a mistake.

A year later, Adm. Adama commanded a heavily under-staffed ''Galactica'' as the flagship of a Defense Fleet, consisting of all ships unable or unwilling to make planetfall on [[New Caprica]]. Adama convinced [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] to rejoin Ellen in [[New Caprica City]] after months of debate, with [[Helo]] acting as his new XO. Not long after Saul left, Dualla, acting XO of the Pegasus, discovered the Cylon Fleet bearing down on New Caprica. After a brief discussion, the Adamas agreed to jump the Fleet to pre-arrangeed coordinates. The admiral issued the orders with a reminder "We're leaving... but we'll be back."

==Additional Notes==
*[[Wikipedia:Adama|Adama]] (also known as Nazareth) is the name of a large city in Ethiopia. The name is also a variation on [[Wikipedia:Adam and Eve|"Adam"]], the first man to be created according to the Bible in the [[Wikipedia:Genesis|Book of Genesis]].

In hebrew the word pronounced "Adama" means earth.
Here is SkyOne's summary of Adama:

:''William Adama was born on the colony of Caprica, in a small coastal community.''

:''His mother Evelyn was an accountant and his father, Joseph, was an attorney who specialised in criminal defence and civil liberties.''

:''At the age of 16 his parents divorced and he applied to the Colonial Fleet Academy. That same year, the Cylon War broke out. Adama's training accelerated along with all other midshipmen.''

:''After 3 years Adama was commissioned to work as a flight pilot; he gained a further two years of training before Adama joined his first squadron. He was a gifted, natural pilot and he shot down a Cylon fighter in his first mission.''

:''After the war was over, Adama was mustered out of the service along with millions of other colonials as part of demobilization process. He went home to Caprica, married his high school sweetheart and started life over.''

:''Adama struggled to find work as a pilot and so signed up as a deck hand in the merchant fleet. This experience would later give him an uncommon insight into the lives and struggles of the enlisted ranks aboard Galactica.''

:''Adama later had two sons, Lee and Zak. But over the years his exploration aboard ships would see Adama spending less time with his sons. He always tried to instill duty and admiration for military services. But was still surprised to learn that both his sons decided to enter the Fleet and become pilots.''

:''When Zak died during a training flight. Lee confronted his father and laid blame for his younger brother's death.''

As this information has not appeared on the official Scifi.com site, its authenticity is in question. Further, this information states that Adama was fighting in the war 5 years into it, when the war lasted 12 years and RDM has stated in podcasts that Adama only served in the final year of the war.

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{{succession box|before=Unknown, eventually [[Peter Dash]]|title=''Commanding of the Battlestar ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''|after=Incumbent}}
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{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Adama, William]]
[[Category:Characters|Adama, William]]
[[Category:RDM|Adama, William]]
[[Category:People from Caprica|Adama, William]]

[[es:William Adama]]

The Fleet (TRS)

2006-02-19T18:28:50Z

Howlader: /* Ships */

''For information on the military fleet of the Tweleve Colonies, see [[Colonial Fleet]].''

'''The Fleet''' is the convoy of ships that contain what is effectively the last survivors of humanity after the [[Cylon Attack]], and it forms the backdrop of the drama of the several television series all known as [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]. Unofficially, off-screen many viewers refer to it as the "RTF"; "Rag Tag Fleet", or more fully, "RTFF"; "Rag Tag Fugitive Fleet", after the voiceover for the original series.

== Overview ==

"The Fleet" began as a convoy of about sixty stranded commercial and civilian ships assembled by [[Laura Roslin]] in the immediate aftermath of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon Attack]] as depicted in the [[Mini-Series]]. It is not shown that any of these found ships were Colonial military craft, save [[Raptor 478]], although [[Crashdown]] was mentioned as being a "refugee from [[Triton]]". Of these, twenty ships were abandoned to an imminent Cylon attack because they lacked [[FTL]] drives. The remainder of the Fleet joined with battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', the only [[Pegasus (RDM)|known]] surviving warship in the first months after the events of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. The Fleet represents the last vestige of humanity, protected by ''Galactica''. The political and social troubles of the Fleet as it wanders through space function as a metaphor for all of humanity, since the Fleet literally ''is'' what is left of humanity in the television series.

The phrase "the Fleet" functions not only as a signifier for the actual ships of the convoy, but as a substitute for the people on board, and therefore for mankind. Usage of the term "the Fleet" has not gained more than an informal acceptance, as can be seen by President [[Laura Roslin]]'s continued use of the term ''President of the [[Twelve Colonies]].'' This may be interpreted as either an expression of hope that eventually the people on board the ships of the Fleet will reestablish themselves on a new colony permanently, or a psychological inability to confront that the Fleet may be the only home that humanity knows for a very long time.

[[Saul Tigh]]'s assertion in "[[The Farm]]" that the twenty four ships which departed with the [[Laura Roslin faction]] during her insurrection represented "almost a third of the fleet" imply that the number of ships in the Fleet is approximately in the mid-70's.

===Ships===
* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', last remaining [[Original battlestar (RDM)|original battlestar]] and main protector and flagship of the Fleet ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Colonial One]]'', President [[Laura Roslin]]'s ship, previously known as ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'' ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', a [[Mercury class battlestar]] formerly commanded by [[Helena Cain]] ([[Pegasus (episode)]]), Jack Fisk ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]) and [[Barry Garner]] ([[The Captain's Hand]]). It is currently under the command of [[Lee Adama]] ([[The Captain's Hand]])
* ''[[Olympic Carrier]]'', destroyed in "[[33]]" after an apparent Cylon takeover. Multiple ships of the same model, including the ''Pan Galactic'' and ''Sagitarrian Spaceways'' are still part of the fleet.
* ''[[Gemini]]'', FTL-capable freighter which Valerii escorts to the convoy. ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'', mentioned frequently and notable for several reasons:
**First (reported) human birth after the exodus from the Colonies ([[33]])
**Where [[Ellen Tigh]] was suddenly discovered three weeks after the attack ([[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]])
**Where Ellen Tigh intended her husband to meet with allies of [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Colonial Day]])
* ''[[Coronis]]'' ([[Litmus]], [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/106/deleted1.html deleted scene])
* ''[[Virgon Express]]'' ([[Water]])
* ''[[Astral Queen]]'', prison ship noted for carrying 1500 prisoners, including [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Bastille Day]])
* ''[[Scorpia Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that carried a suicide bomber copy of [[Aaron Doral]] ([[Litmus]])
* ''[[Gemenon Liner 1701]]'', greeted by Colonial One shortly after Laura Roslin's hasty inauguration.
* ''[[Gemenon Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] was captured on ([[Flesh and Bone]])
**The above two appear to be of identical configuration, and may be the same ship.
* ''[[Cloud Nine]]'', a luxury liner desgined to mimick the enviroment of a habitable planet.
**Meeting place of the [[Quorum of Twelve]]. ([[Colonial Day]])
**Base of operations for [[Demand Peace]]. ([[Epiphanies]])
* ''[[Zephyr]]'' ([[Fragged]])
* ''[[Tauranian]]'', a refinery ship ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Gideon]]'', a supply ship involved in an incident where four civilians were killed by ''Galactica'' marines. ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Kimba Huta]]'', a cold storage vessel on which exiled President Roslin hid from Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh. ([[The Farm]])
* ''[[Monarch]]'', a mining ship that joined the [[Laura Roslin faction]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Adriatic]]'', a member of the Roslin faction armed with ship-to-ship missiles ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Striker]]'', damaged in a refuelling operation overseen by Capt. [[George Birch]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Celestra]] (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Space Park]]'' (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Flattop]]'', a [[salvage and repair]] ship (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Freighter 212]]'', a ship [[Louanne Katraine]] apparently has some "buddies" on ([[Final Cut]])
* ''[[Baah Pakal]]'', a ship carrying unused [[DDG-62]] engines onboard ([[Flight of the Phoenix]])
*''[[Botanical Cruiser]]'' (While the original was destroyed in the [[Mini-Series]], various background shots have placed an [[FTL]]-equiped Botanical Cruiser in the fleet.)
* ''[[Daru Mozu]]'', a [[tylium]] refinery ship. Damaged by a suicide bomber in [[Epiphanies]].
* ''[[Greenleaf]]'', a freighter where [[Asha Janik]] was a maintenance worker before being recruited to ''Galactica'''s machine shop.
* ''[[McConnell]]'', a supply ship frequented by Commander [[Jack Fisk]].
* ''[[Prometheus]]'', an "off the grid" freighter and the den of mercenary-turned-crime boss [[Phelan]].
* ''[[Majahual]]'', a mining ship seen in "[[Scar]]".
In the episode "[[The Farm]]", 24 ships leave the Fleet to return to Kobol. [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] provides the following breakdown:
*12 transports - incl. the ''Astral Queen'', and the ''Gemenon Traveller''
*7 freighters
*3 construction platforms
*1 private cruiser
*1 mining ship - the ''Monarch''.

===Demographics===

A few points of information are available concerning the demographics of the Fleet. In "[[33]]", before the destruction of the Olympic Carrier, there were 5,251 survivors from Sagittaron and 49,998 total survivors. In "[[Home, Part I]]", the [[Laura Roslin faction]] left the Fleet with 18,000 individuals, of which 9,500 were Gemenons and 6,250 were Capricans. At that time the total population of the fleet was 47,857.

This information is sparse, but it gives a general idea of the population breakdown of the Fleet if a few assumptions are made for the sake of argument.
*Note that Gemenon and Caprica had more citizens in the Roslin faction alone than Sagittaron had in the entire Fleet. The Twelve Colonies are clearly not represented in equal proportion.
*Before the destruction of the ''Olympic Carrier'', Sagittaron natives made up 10.50% of the fleet. Solely for the purpose of argument, we assume that the ''Olympic Carrier'''s population breakdown was identical to the rest of the fleet's and that Sagittaron continues to make up 10.50% of the Fleet's total population.
*The figures from the Roslin faction can be viewed in several ways:
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics1.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 1: All Gemenons and Capricans jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction.
::*Caprica: 6,250 persons (13.06%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 27,081 (56.59%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics2.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 2: All Gemenons jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction, lured by the "religion card", but Caprican portion of the Roslin faction was representative of the Fleet.
::*Caprica: 28,204 persons (58.93%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 5,127 persons (10.72%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics3.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 3: Caprican and Gemenon portions of the Roslin faction were representative of the fleet.
::*Caprica: 16,617 persons (34.72%)
::*Gemenon: 25,258 persons (52.78%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 956 (2.00%)<br clear="both">
*Although it is plausible that the Caprican population is substantially larger than the other colonies, as ''Colonial Heavy 798'' was in the vicinity when the attack began, and was the nucleus around which the fleet rallied, it is unlikely that the populations of each colony are grossly unequal, or else the [[Quorum of Twelve]] would be a very poor system of government. The likeliest scenario is therefore probably somewhere in between Assumptions 1 and 2, with nearly all of the Gemenon population (drawn by the "religion card") and a large portion of the Caprican population leaving with Roslin.

As for population distribution, we know the population of ''Galactica'' (2,693 as of [[Water]]), the ''Olympic Carrier'' (1,345 as of [[33]]) and ''Astral Queen'' (1,500 as of [[Bastille Day]], [[List of retcons (RDM)|retconned]] up from 500 in the mini-series). There are 176 civillians in the cargo hold of [[Colonial One]] in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]". The fleet is stated at about 75 ships in "[[Resistance]]", retconned up from 40 in the mini.
*Going by the 75 ship count, the remaining ships besides ''Galactica'' and the ''Astral Queen'' each carry about 600 persons on average.
*The 23 ships that left with the [[Laura Roslin faction]], apart from the ''Astral Queen'', would have an average population of about 720 persons per ship.

==Notes==

In the [[Mini-Series]], astute viewers may recognize three spacecraft with notable resemblances of ships from other SF universes. These ships aren't considered a [[Canon|canonical]] part of the series or the Fleet, but their appearance adds a bit of humor and pays homage to other notable science fiction and their creative staff.

* ''Serenity'', the central ship from the TV series "Firefly" and the motion picture, "[http://www.serenitymovie.com/ Serenity]", appears briefly in the sky outside the window of a doctor's office where viewers first see Laura Roslin.

* The original USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701) from the original ''[http://www.startrek.com Star Trek]'' TV series makes a cameo in the last shot of the Fleet as [[Elosha]] chants a prayer in the memorial service near the end of the Mini-Series.

*The ill-fated [[Botanical Cruiser]] was added in homage to the [[Agro Ship]] from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original ''Battlestar Galactica'']] TV series, which in turn were the re-used models from the SF film ''[[IMDB:Silent Running|Silent Running]]'', a Universal/MCA movie that special effects guru [[John Dykstra]] worked on a few years prior to the Original Series.

[[Category: A to Z]] [[Category: RDM]] [[Category: Terminology]]

The Fleet (TRS)

2006-02-19T18:28:25Z

Howlader: /* Ships */

''For information on the military fleet of the Tweleve Colonies, see [[Colonial Fleet]].''

'''The Fleet''' is the convoy of ships that contain what is effectively the last survivors of humanity after the [[Cylon Attack]], and it forms the backdrop of the drama of the several television series all known as [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]. Unofficially, off-screen many viewers refer to it as the "RTF"; "Rag Tag Fleet", or more fully, "RTFF"; "Rag Tag Fugitive Fleet", after the voiceover for the original series.

== Overview ==

"The Fleet" began as a convoy of about sixty stranded commercial and civilian ships assembled by [[Laura Roslin]] in the immediate aftermath of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon Attack]] as depicted in the [[Mini-Series]]. It is not shown that any of these found ships were Colonial military craft, save [[Raptor 478]], although [[Crashdown]] was mentioned as being a "refugee from [[Triton]]". Of these, twenty ships were abandoned to an imminent Cylon attack because they lacked [[FTL]] drives. The remainder of the Fleet joined with battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', the only [[Pegasus (RDM)|known]] surviving warship in the first months after the events of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. The Fleet represents the last vestige of humanity, protected by ''Galactica''. The political and social troubles of the Fleet as it wanders through space function as a metaphor for all of humanity, since the Fleet literally ''is'' what is left of humanity in the television series.

The phrase "the Fleet" functions not only as a signifier for the actual ships of the convoy, but as a substitute for the people on board, and therefore for mankind. Usage of the term "the Fleet" has not gained more than an informal acceptance, as can be seen by President [[Laura Roslin]]'s continued use of the term ''President of the [[Twelve Colonies]].'' This may be interpreted as either an expression of hope that eventually the people on board the ships of the Fleet will reestablish themselves on a new colony permanently, or a psychological inability to confront that the Fleet may be the only home that humanity knows for a very long time.

[[Saul Tigh]]'s assertion in "[[The Farm]]" that the twenty four ships which departed with the [[Laura Roslin faction]] during her insurrection represented "almost a third of the fleet" imply that the number of ships in the Fleet is approximately in the mid-70's.

===Ships===
* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', last remaining [[Original battlestar (RDM)|original battlestar]] and main protector and flagship of the Fleet ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Colonial One]]'', President [[Laura Roslin]]'s ship, previously known as ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'' ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', a [[Mercury class battlestar]] formerly commanded by [[Helena Cain]] ([[Pegasus (episode)]]), Jack Fisk ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]) and [[Barry Garner]] ([[The Captain's Hand)]]). It is currently under the command of [[Lee Adama]] ([[The Captain's Hand)]])
* ''[[Olympic Carrier]]'', destroyed in "[[33]]" after an apparent Cylon takeover. Multiple ships of the same model, including the ''Pan Galactic'' and ''Sagitarrian Spaceways'' are still part of the fleet.
* ''[[Gemini]]'', FTL-capable freighter which Valerii escorts to the convoy. ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'', mentioned frequently and notable for several reasons:
**First (reported) human birth after the exodus from the Colonies ([[33]])
**Where [[Ellen Tigh]] was suddenly discovered three weeks after the attack ([[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]])
**Where Ellen Tigh intended her husband to meet with allies of [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Colonial Day]])
* ''[[Coronis]]'' ([[Litmus]], [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/106/deleted1.html deleted scene])
* ''[[Virgon Express]]'' ([[Water]])
* ''[[Astral Queen]]'', prison ship noted for carrying 1500 prisoners, including [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Bastille Day]])
* ''[[Scorpia Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that carried a suicide bomber copy of [[Aaron Doral]] ([[Litmus]])
* ''[[Gemenon Liner 1701]]'', greeted by Colonial One shortly after Laura Roslin's hasty inauguration.
* ''[[Gemenon Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] was captured on ([[Flesh and Bone]])
**The above two appear to be of identical configuration, and may be the same ship.
* ''[[Cloud Nine]]'', a luxury liner desgined to mimick the enviroment of a habitable planet.
**Meeting place of the [[Quorum of Twelve]]. ([[Colonial Day]])
**Base of operations for [[Demand Peace]]. ([[Epiphanies]])
* ''[[Zephyr]]'' ([[Fragged]])
* ''[[Tauranian]]'', a refinery ship ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Gideon]]'', a supply ship involved in an incident where four civilians were killed by ''Galactica'' marines. ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Kimba Huta]]'', a cold storage vessel on which exiled President Roslin hid from Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh. ([[The Farm]])
* ''[[Monarch]]'', a mining ship that joined the [[Laura Roslin faction]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Adriatic]]'', a member of the Roslin faction armed with ship-to-ship missiles ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Striker]]'', damaged in a refuelling operation overseen by Capt. [[George Birch]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Celestra]] (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Space Park]]'' (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Flattop]]'', a [[salvage and repair]] ship (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Freighter 212]]'', a ship [[Louanne Katraine]] apparently has some "buddies" on ([[Final Cut]])
* ''[[Baah Pakal]]'', a ship carrying unused [[DDG-62]] engines onboard ([[Flight of the Phoenix]])
*''[[Botanical Cruiser]]'' (While the original was destroyed in the [[Mini-Series]], various background shots have placed an [[FTL]]-equiped Botanical Cruiser in the fleet.)
* ''[[Daru Mozu]]'', a [[tylium]] refinery ship. Damaged by a suicide bomber in [[Epiphanies]].
* ''[[Greenleaf]]'', a freighter where [[Asha Janik]] was a maintenance worker before being recruited to ''Galactica'''s machine shop.
* ''[[McConnell]]'', a supply ship frequented by Commander [[Jack Fisk]].
* ''[[Prometheus]]'', an "off the grid" freighter and the den of mercenary-turned-crime boss [[Phelan]].
* ''[[Majahual]]'', a mining ship seen in "[[Scar]]".
In the episode "[[The Farm]]", 24 ships leave the Fleet to return to Kobol. [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] provides the following breakdown:
*12 transports - incl. the ''Astral Queen'', and the ''Gemenon Traveller''
*7 freighters
*3 construction platforms
*1 private cruiser
*1 mining ship - the ''Monarch''.

===Demographics===

A few points of information are available concerning the demographics of the Fleet. In "[[33]]", before the destruction of the Olympic Carrier, there were 5,251 survivors from Sagittaron and 49,998 total survivors. In "[[Home, Part I]]", the [[Laura Roslin faction]] left the Fleet with 18,000 individuals, of which 9,500 were Gemenons and 6,250 were Capricans. At that time the total population of the fleet was 47,857.

This information is sparse, but it gives a general idea of the population breakdown of the Fleet if a few assumptions are made for the sake of argument.
*Note that Gemenon and Caprica had more citizens in the Roslin faction alone than Sagittaron had in the entire Fleet. The Twelve Colonies are clearly not represented in equal proportion.
*Before the destruction of the ''Olympic Carrier'', Sagittaron natives made up 10.50% of the fleet. Solely for the purpose of argument, we assume that the ''Olympic Carrier'''s population breakdown was identical to the rest of the fleet's and that Sagittaron continues to make up 10.50% of the Fleet's total population.
*The figures from the Roslin faction can be viewed in several ways:
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics1.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 1: All Gemenons and Capricans jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction.
::*Caprica: 6,250 persons (13.06%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 27,081 (56.59%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics2.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 2: All Gemenons jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction, lured by the "religion card", but Caprican portion of the Roslin faction was representative of the Fleet.
::*Caprica: 28,204 persons (58.93%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 5,127 persons (10.72%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics3.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 3: Caprican and Gemenon portions of the Roslin faction were representative of the fleet.
::*Caprica: 16,617 persons (34.72%)
::*Gemenon: 25,258 persons (52.78%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 956 (2.00%)<br clear="both">
*Although it is plausible that the Caprican population is substantially larger than the other colonies, as ''Colonial Heavy 798'' was in the vicinity when the attack began, and was the nucleus around which the fleet rallied, it is unlikely that the populations of each colony are grossly unequal, or else the [[Quorum of Twelve]] would be a very poor system of government. The likeliest scenario is therefore probably somewhere in between Assumptions 1 and 2, with nearly all of the Gemenon population (drawn by the "religion card") and a large portion of the Caprican population leaving with Roslin.

As for population distribution, we know the population of ''Galactica'' (2,693 as of [[Water]]), the ''Olympic Carrier'' (1,345 as of [[33]]) and ''Astral Queen'' (1,500 as of [[Bastille Day]], [[List of retcons (RDM)|retconned]] up from 500 in the mini-series). There are 176 civillians in the cargo hold of [[Colonial One]] in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]". The fleet is stated at about 75 ships in "[[Resistance]]", retconned up from 40 in the mini.
*Going by the 75 ship count, the remaining ships besides ''Galactica'' and the ''Astral Queen'' each carry about 600 persons on average.
*The 23 ships that left with the [[Laura Roslin faction]], apart from the ''Astral Queen'', would have an average population of about 720 persons per ship.

==Notes==

In the [[Mini-Series]], astute viewers may recognize three spacecraft with notable resemblances of ships from other SF universes. These ships aren't considered a [[Canon|canonical]] part of the series or the Fleet, but their appearance adds a bit of humor and pays homage to other notable science fiction and their creative staff.

* ''Serenity'', the central ship from the TV series "Firefly" and the motion picture, "[http://www.serenitymovie.com/ Serenity]", appears briefly in the sky outside the window of a doctor's office where viewers first see Laura Roslin.

* The original USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701) from the original ''[http://www.startrek.com Star Trek]'' TV series makes a cameo in the last shot of the Fleet as [[Elosha]] chants a prayer in the memorial service near the end of the Mini-Series.

*The ill-fated [[Botanical Cruiser]] was added in homage to the [[Agro Ship]] from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original ''Battlestar Galactica'']] TV series, which in turn were the re-used models from the SF film ''[[IMDB:Silent Running|Silent Running]]'', a Universal/MCA movie that special effects guru [[John Dykstra]] worked on a few years prior to the Original Series.

[[Category: A to Z]] [[Category: RDM]] [[Category: Terminology]]

The Fleet (TRS)

2006-02-19T18:27:53Z

Howlader: /* Ships */

''For information on the military fleet of the Tweleve Colonies, see [[Colonial Fleet]].''

'''The Fleet''' is the convoy of ships that contain what is effectively the last survivors of humanity after the [[Cylon Attack]], and it forms the backdrop of the drama of the several television series all known as [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]. Unofficially, off-screen many viewers refer to it as the "RTF"; "Rag Tag Fleet", or more fully, "RTFF"; "Rag Tag Fugitive Fleet", after the voiceover for the original series.

== Overview ==

"The Fleet" began as a convoy of about sixty stranded commercial and civilian ships assembled by [[Laura Roslin]] in the immediate aftermath of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon Attack]] as depicted in the [[Mini-Series]]. It is not shown that any of these found ships were Colonial military craft, save [[Raptor 478]], although [[Crashdown]] was mentioned as being a "refugee from [[Triton]]". Of these, twenty ships were abandoned to an imminent Cylon attack because they lacked [[FTL]] drives. The remainder of the Fleet joined with battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', the only [[Pegasus (RDM)|known]] surviving warship in the first months after the events of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. The Fleet represents the last vestige of humanity, protected by ''Galactica''. The political and social troubles of the Fleet as it wanders through space function as a metaphor for all of humanity, since the Fleet literally ''is'' what is left of humanity in the television series.

The phrase "the Fleet" functions not only as a signifier for the actual ships of the convoy, but as a substitute for the people on board, and therefore for mankind. Usage of the term "the Fleet" has not gained more than an informal acceptance, as can be seen by President [[Laura Roslin]]'s continued use of the term ''President of the [[Twelve Colonies]].'' This may be interpreted as either an expression of hope that eventually the people on board the ships of the Fleet will reestablish themselves on a new colony permanently, or a psychological inability to confront that the Fleet may be the only home that humanity knows for a very long time.

[[Saul Tigh]]'s assertion in "[[The Farm]]" that the twenty four ships which departed with the [[Laura Roslin faction]] during her insurrection represented "almost a third of the fleet" imply that the number of ships in the Fleet is approximately in the mid-70's.

===Ships===
* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', last remaining [[Original battlestar (RDM)|original battlestar]] and main protector and flagship of the Fleet ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Colonial One]]'', President [[Laura Roslin]]'s ship, previously known as ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'' ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', a [[Mercury class battlestar]] formerly commanded by [[Helena Cain]] ([[Pegasus (episode)]]), Jack Fisk ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]), and [[Barry Garner]] ([[The Captain's Hand)]]). It is currently under the command of [[Lee Adama]] ([[The Captain's Hand)]])
* ''[[Olympic Carrier]]'', destroyed in "[[33]]" after an apparent Cylon takeover. Multiple ships of the same model, including the ''Pan Galactic'' and ''Sagitarrian Spaceways'' are still part of the fleet.
* ''[[Gemini]]'', FTL-capable freighter which Valerii escorts to the convoy. ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'', mentioned frequently and notable for several reasons:
**First (reported) human birth after the exodus from the Colonies ([[33]])
**Where [[Ellen Tigh]] was suddenly discovered three weeks after the attack ([[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]])
**Where Ellen Tigh intended her husband to meet with allies of [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Colonial Day]])
* ''[[Coronis]]'' ([[Litmus]], [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/106/deleted1.html deleted scene])
* ''[[Virgon Express]]'' ([[Water]])
* ''[[Astral Queen]]'', prison ship noted for carrying 1500 prisoners, including [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Bastille Day]])
* ''[[Scorpia Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that carried a suicide bomber copy of [[Aaron Doral]] ([[Litmus]])
* ''[[Gemenon Liner 1701]]'', greeted by Colonial One shortly after Laura Roslin's hasty inauguration.
* ''[[Gemenon Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] was captured on ([[Flesh and Bone]])
**The above two appear to be of identical configuration, and may be the same ship.
* ''[[Cloud Nine]]'', a luxury liner desgined to mimick the enviroment of a habitable planet.
**Meeting place of the [[Quorum of Twelve]]. ([[Colonial Day]])
**Base of operations for [[Demand Peace]]. ([[Epiphanies]])
* ''[[Zephyr]]'' ([[Fragged]])
* ''[[Tauranian]]'', a refinery ship ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Gideon]]'', a supply ship involved in an incident where four civilians were killed by ''Galactica'' marines. ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Kimba Huta]]'', a cold storage vessel on which exiled President Roslin hid from Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh. ([[The Farm]])
* ''[[Monarch]]'', a mining ship that joined the [[Laura Roslin faction]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Adriatic]]'', a member of the Roslin faction armed with ship-to-ship missiles ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Striker]]'', damaged in a refuelling operation overseen by Capt. [[George Birch]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Celestra]] (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Space Park]]'' (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Flattop]]'', a [[salvage and repair]] ship (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Freighter 212]]'', a ship [[Louanne Katraine]] apparently has some "buddies" on ([[Final Cut]])
* ''[[Baah Pakal]]'', a ship carrying unused [[DDG-62]] engines onboard ([[Flight of the Phoenix]])
*''[[Botanical Cruiser]]'' (While the original was destroyed in the [[Mini-Series]], various background shots have placed an [[FTL]]-equiped Botanical Cruiser in the fleet.)
* ''[[Daru Mozu]]'', a [[tylium]] refinery ship. Damaged by a suicide bomber in [[Epiphanies]].
* ''[[Greenleaf]]'', a freighter where [[Asha Janik]] was a maintenance worker before being recruited to ''Galactica'''s machine shop.
* ''[[McConnell]]'', a supply ship frequented by Commander [[Jack Fisk]].
* ''[[Prometheus]]'', an "off the grid" freighter and the den of mercenary-turned-crime boss [[Phelan]].
* ''[[Majahual]]'', a mining ship seen in "[[Scar]]".
In the episode "[[The Farm]]", 24 ships leave the Fleet to return to Kobol. [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] provides the following breakdown:
*12 transports - incl. the ''Astral Queen'', and the ''Gemenon Traveller''
*7 freighters
*3 construction platforms
*1 private cruiser
*1 mining ship - the ''Monarch''.

===Demographics===

A few points of information are available concerning the demographics of the Fleet. In "[[33]]", before the destruction of the Olympic Carrier, there were 5,251 survivors from Sagittaron and 49,998 total survivors. In "[[Home, Part I]]", the [[Laura Roslin faction]] left the Fleet with 18,000 individuals, of which 9,500 were Gemenons and 6,250 were Capricans. At that time the total population of the fleet was 47,857.

This information is sparse, but it gives a general idea of the population breakdown of the Fleet if a few assumptions are made for the sake of argument.
*Note that Gemenon and Caprica had more citizens in the Roslin faction alone than Sagittaron had in the entire Fleet. The Twelve Colonies are clearly not represented in equal proportion.
*Before the destruction of the ''Olympic Carrier'', Sagittaron natives made up 10.50% of the fleet. Solely for the purpose of argument, we assume that the ''Olympic Carrier'''s population breakdown was identical to the rest of the fleet's and that Sagittaron continues to make up 10.50% of the Fleet's total population.
*The figures from the Roslin faction can be viewed in several ways:
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics1.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 1: All Gemenons and Capricans jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction.
::*Caprica: 6,250 persons (13.06%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 27,081 (56.59%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics2.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 2: All Gemenons jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction, lured by the "religion card", but Caprican portion of the Roslin faction was representative of the Fleet.
::*Caprica: 28,204 persons (58.93%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 5,127 persons (10.72%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics3.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 3: Caprican and Gemenon portions of the Roslin faction were representative of the fleet.
::*Caprica: 16,617 persons (34.72%)
::*Gemenon: 25,258 persons (52.78%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 956 (2.00%)<br clear="both">
*Although it is plausible that the Caprican population is substantially larger than the other colonies, as ''Colonial Heavy 798'' was in the vicinity when the attack began, and was the nucleus around which the fleet rallied, it is unlikely that the populations of each colony are grossly unequal, or else the [[Quorum of Twelve]] would be a very poor system of government. The likeliest scenario is therefore probably somewhere in between Assumptions 1 and 2, with nearly all of the Gemenon population (drawn by the "religion card") and a large portion of the Caprican population leaving with Roslin.

As for population distribution, we know the population of ''Galactica'' (2,693 as of [[Water]]), the ''Olympic Carrier'' (1,345 as of [[33]]) and ''Astral Queen'' (1,500 as of [[Bastille Day]], [[List of retcons (RDM)|retconned]] up from 500 in the mini-series). There are 176 civillians in the cargo hold of [[Colonial One]] in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]". The fleet is stated at about 75 ships in "[[Resistance]]", retconned up from 40 in the mini.
*Going by the 75 ship count, the remaining ships besides ''Galactica'' and the ''Astral Queen'' each carry about 600 persons on average.
*The 23 ships that left with the [[Laura Roslin faction]], apart from the ''Astral Queen'', would have an average population of about 720 persons per ship.

==Notes==

In the [[Mini-Series]], astute viewers may recognize three spacecraft with notable resemblances of ships from other SF universes. These ships aren't considered a [[Canon|canonical]] part of the series or the Fleet, but their appearance adds a bit of humor and pays homage to other notable science fiction and their creative staff.

* ''Serenity'', the central ship from the TV series "Firefly" and the motion picture, "[http://www.serenitymovie.com/ Serenity]", appears briefly in the sky outside the window of a doctor's office where viewers first see Laura Roslin.

* The original USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701) from the original ''[http://www.startrek.com Star Trek]'' TV series makes a cameo in the last shot of the Fleet as [[Elosha]] chants a prayer in the memorial service near the end of the Mini-Series.

*The ill-fated [[Botanical Cruiser]] was added in homage to the [[Agro Ship]] from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original ''Battlestar Galactica'']] TV series, which in turn were the re-used models from the SF film ''[[IMDB:Silent Running|Silent Running]]'', a Universal/MCA movie that special effects guru [[John Dykstra]] worked on a few years prior to the Original Series.

[[Category: A to Z]] [[Category: RDM]] [[Category: Terminology]]

The Fleet (TRS)

2006-02-19T18:27:21Z

Howlader: /* Ships */

''For information on the military fleet of the Tweleve Colonies, see [[Colonial Fleet]].''

'''The Fleet''' is the convoy of ships that contain what is effectively the last survivors of humanity after the [[Cylon Attack]], and it forms the backdrop of the drama of the several television series all known as [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]. Unofficially, off-screen many viewers refer to it as the "RTF"; "Rag Tag Fleet", or more fully, "RTFF"; "Rag Tag Fugitive Fleet", after the voiceover for the original series.

== Overview ==

"The Fleet" began as a convoy of about sixty stranded commercial and civilian ships assembled by [[Laura Roslin]] in the immediate aftermath of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon Attack]] as depicted in the [[Mini-Series]]. It is not shown that any of these found ships were Colonial military craft, save [[Raptor 478]], although [[Crashdown]] was mentioned as being a "refugee from [[Triton]]". Of these, twenty ships were abandoned to an imminent Cylon attack because they lacked [[FTL]] drives. The remainder of the Fleet joined with battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', the only [[Pegasus (RDM)|known]] surviving warship in the first months after the events of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. The Fleet represents the last vestige of humanity, protected by ''Galactica''. The political and social troubles of the Fleet as it wanders through space function as a metaphor for all of humanity, since the Fleet literally ''is'' what is left of humanity in the television series.

The phrase "the Fleet" functions not only as a signifier for the actual ships of the convoy, but as a substitute for the people on board, and therefore for mankind. Usage of the term "the Fleet" has not gained more than an informal acceptance, as can be seen by President [[Laura Roslin]]'s continued use of the term ''President of the [[Twelve Colonies]].'' This may be interpreted as either an expression of hope that eventually the people on board the ships of the Fleet will reestablish themselves on a new colony permanently, or a psychological inability to confront that the Fleet may be the only home that humanity knows for a very long time.

[[Saul Tigh]]'s assertion in "[[The Farm]]" that the twenty four ships which departed with the [[Laura Roslin faction]] during her insurrection represented "almost a third of the fleet" imply that the number of ships in the Fleet is approximately in the mid-70's.

===Ships===
* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', last remaining [[Original battlestar (RDM)|original battlestar]] and main protector and flagship of the Fleet ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Colonial One]]'', President [[Laura Roslin]]'s ship, previously known as ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'' ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', a [[Mercury class battlestar]] formerly commanded by [[Helena Cain]] ([[Pegasus (episode)]]), Jack Fisk ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]), [[Barry Garner]] ([[The Captain's Hand)]]) currently under the command of [[Lee Adama]] ([[The Captain's Hand)]])
* ''[[Olympic Carrier]]'', destroyed in "[[33]]" after an apparent Cylon takeover. Multiple ships of the same model, including the ''Pan Galactic'' and ''Sagitarrian Spaceways'' are still part of the fleet.
* ''[[Gemini]]'', FTL-capable freighter which Valerii escorts to the convoy. ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'', mentioned frequently and notable for several reasons:
**First (reported) human birth after the exodus from the Colonies ([[33]])
**Where [[Ellen Tigh]] was suddenly discovered three weeks after the attack ([[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]])
**Where Ellen Tigh intended her husband to meet with allies of [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Colonial Day]])
* ''[[Coronis]]'' ([[Litmus]], [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/106/deleted1.html deleted scene])
* ''[[Virgon Express]]'' ([[Water]])
* ''[[Astral Queen]]'', prison ship noted for carrying 1500 prisoners, including [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Bastille Day]])
* ''[[Scorpia Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that carried a suicide bomber copy of [[Aaron Doral]] ([[Litmus]])
* ''[[Gemenon Liner 1701]]'', greeted by Colonial One shortly after Laura Roslin's hasty inauguration.
* ''[[Gemenon Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] was captured on ([[Flesh and Bone]])
**The above two appear to be of identical configuration, and may be the same ship.
* ''[[Cloud Nine]]'', a luxury liner desgined to mimick the enviroment of a habitable planet.
**Meeting place of the [[Quorum of Twelve]]. ([[Colonial Day]])
**Base of operations for [[Demand Peace]]. ([[Epiphanies]])
* ''[[Zephyr]]'' ([[Fragged]])
* ''[[Tauranian]]'', a refinery ship ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Gideon]]'', a supply ship involved in an incident where four civilians were killed by ''Galactica'' marines. ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Kimba Huta]]'', a cold storage vessel on which exiled President Roslin hid from Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh. ([[The Farm]])
* ''[[Monarch]]'', a mining ship that joined the [[Laura Roslin faction]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Adriatic]]'', a member of the Roslin faction armed with ship-to-ship missiles ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Striker]]'', damaged in a refuelling operation overseen by Capt. [[George Birch]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Celestra]] (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Space Park]]'' (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Flattop]]'', a [[salvage and repair]] ship (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Freighter 212]]'', a ship [[Louanne Katraine]] apparently has some "buddies" on ([[Final Cut]])
* ''[[Baah Pakal]]'', a ship carrying unused [[DDG-62]] engines onboard ([[Flight of the Phoenix]])
*''[[Botanical Cruiser]]'' (While the original was destroyed in the [[Mini-Series]], various background shots have placed an [[FTL]]-equiped Botanical Cruiser in the fleet.)
* ''[[Daru Mozu]]'', a [[tylium]] refinery ship. Damaged by a suicide bomber in [[Epiphanies]].
* ''[[Greenleaf]]'', a freighter where [[Asha Janik]] was a maintenance worker before being recruited to ''Galactica'''s machine shop.
* ''[[McConnell]]'', a supply ship frequented by Commander [[Jack Fisk]].
* ''[[Prometheus]]'', an "off the grid" freighter and the den of mercenary-turned-crime boss [[Phelan]].
* ''[[Majahual]]'', a mining ship seen in "[[Scar]]".
In the episode "[[The Farm]]", 24 ships leave the Fleet to return to Kobol. [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] provides the following breakdown:
*12 transports - incl. the ''Astral Queen'', and the ''Gemenon Traveller''
*7 freighters
*3 construction platforms
*1 private cruiser
*1 mining ship - the ''Monarch''.

===Demographics===

A few points of information are available concerning the demographics of the Fleet. In "[[33]]", before the destruction of the Olympic Carrier, there were 5,251 survivors from Sagittaron and 49,998 total survivors. In "[[Home, Part I]]", the [[Laura Roslin faction]] left the Fleet with 18,000 individuals, of which 9,500 were Gemenons and 6,250 were Capricans. At that time the total population of the fleet was 47,857.

This information is sparse, but it gives a general idea of the population breakdown of the Fleet if a few assumptions are made for the sake of argument.
*Note that Gemenon and Caprica had more citizens in the Roslin faction alone than Sagittaron had in the entire Fleet. The Twelve Colonies are clearly not represented in equal proportion.
*Before the destruction of the ''Olympic Carrier'', Sagittaron natives made up 10.50% of the fleet. Solely for the purpose of argument, we assume that the ''Olympic Carrier'''s population breakdown was identical to the rest of the fleet's and that Sagittaron continues to make up 10.50% of the Fleet's total population.
*The figures from the Roslin faction can be viewed in several ways:
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics1.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 1: All Gemenons and Capricans jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction.
::*Caprica: 6,250 persons (13.06%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 27,081 (56.59%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics2.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 2: All Gemenons jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction, lured by the "religion card", but Caprican portion of the Roslin faction was representative of the Fleet.
::*Caprica: 28,204 persons (58.93%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 5,127 persons (10.72%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics3.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 3: Caprican and Gemenon portions of the Roslin faction were representative of the fleet.
::*Caprica: 16,617 persons (34.72%)
::*Gemenon: 25,258 persons (52.78%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 956 (2.00%)<br clear="both">
*Although it is plausible that the Caprican population is substantially larger than the other colonies, as ''Colonial Heavy 798'' was in the vicinity when the attack began, and was the nucleus around which the fleet rallied, it is unlikely that the populations of each colony are grossly unequal, or else the [[Quorum of Twelve]] would be a very poor system of government. The likeliest scenario is therefore probably somewhere in between Assumptions 1 and 2, with nearly all of the Gemenon population (drawn by the "religion card") and a large portion of the Caprican population leaving with Roslin.

As for population distribution, we know the population of ''Galactica'' (2,693 as of [[Water]]), the ''Olympic Carrier'' (1,345 as of [[33]]) and ''Astral Queen'' (1,500 as of [[Bastille Day]], [[List of retcons (RDM)|retconned]] up from 500 in the mini-series). There are 176 civillians in the cargo hold of [[Colonial One]] in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]". The fleet is stated at about 75 ships in "[[Resistance]]", retconned up from 40 in the mini.
*Going by the 75 ship count, the remaining ships besides ''Galactica'' and the ''Astral Queen'' each carry about 600 persons on average.
*The 23 ships that left with the [[Laura Roslin faction]], apart from the ''Astral Queen'', would have an average population of about 720 persons per ship.

==Notes==

In the [[Mini-Series]], astute viewers may recognize three spacecraft with notable resemblances of ships from other SF universes. These ships aren't considered a [[Canon|canonical]] part of the series or the Fleet, but their appearance adds a bit of humor and pays homage to other notable science fiction and their creative staff.

* ''Serenity'', the central ship from the TV series "Firefly" and the motion picture, "[http://www.serenitymovie.com/ Serenity]", appears briefly in the sky outside the window of a doctor's office where viewers first see Laura Roslin.

* The original USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701) from the original ''[http://www.startrek.com Star Trek]'' TV series makes a cameo in the last shot of the Fleet as [[Elosha]] chants a prayer in the memorial service near the end of the Mini-Series.

*The ill-fated [[Botanical Cruiser]] was added in homage to the [[Agro Ship]] from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original ''Battlestar Galactica'']] TV series, which in turn were the re-used models from the SF film ''[[IMDB:Silent Running|Silent Running]]'', a Universal/MCA movie that special effects guru [[John Dykstra]] worked on a few years prior to the Original Series.

[[Category: A to Z]] [[Category: RDM]] [[Category: Terminology]]

The Fleet (TRS)

2006-02-19T18:24:49Z

Howlader:

''For information on the military fleet of the Tweleve Colonies, see [[Colonial Fleet]].''

'''The Fleet''' is the convoy of ships that contain what is effectively the last survivors of humanity after the [[Cylon Attack]], and it forms the backdrop of the drama of the several television series all known as [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]. Unofficially, off-screen many viewers refer to it as the "RTF"; "Rag Tag Fleet", or more fully, "RTFF"; "Rag Tag Fugitive Fleet", after the voiceover for the original series.

== Overview ==

"The Fleet" began as a convoy of about sixty stranded commercial and civilian ships assembled by [[Laura Roslin]] in the immediate aftermath of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon Attack]] as depicted in the [[Mini-Series]]. It is not shown that any of these found ships were Colonial military craft, save [[Raptor 478]], although [[Crashdown]] was mentioned as being a "refugee from [[Triton]]". Of these, twenty ships were abandoned to an imminent Cylon attack because they lacked [[FTL]] drives. The remainder of the Fleet joined with battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', the only [[Pegasus (RDM)|known]] surviving warship in the first months after the events of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. The Fleet represents the last vestige of humanity, protected by ''Galactica''. The political and social troubles of the Fleet as it wanders through space function as a metaphor for all of humanity, since the Fleet literally ''is'' what is left of humanity in the television series.

The phrase "the Fleet" functions not only as a signifier for the actual ships of the convoy, but as a substitute for the people on board, and therefore for mankind. Usage of the term "the Fleet" has not gained more than an informal acceptance, as can be seen by President [[Laura Roslin]]'s continued use of the term ''President of the [[Twelve Colonies]].'' This may be interpreted as either an expression of hope that eventually the people on board the ships of the Fleet will reestablish themselves on a new colony permanently, or a psychological inability to confront that the Fleet may be the only home that humanity knows for a very long time.

[[Saul Tigh]]'s assertion in "[[The Farm]]" that the twenty four ships which departed with the [[Laura Roslin faction]] during her insurrection represented "almost a third of the fleet" imply that the number of ships in the Fleet is approximately in the mid-70's.

===Ships===
* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', last remaining [[Original battlestar (RDM)|original battlestar]] and main protector and flagship of the Fleet ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Colonial One]]'', President [[Laura Roslin]]'s ship, previously known as ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'' ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', a [[Mercury class battlestar]] formerly commanded by [[Helena Cain]] ([[Pegasus (episode)]]), currently under the command of [[Lee Adama]] ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]])
* ''[[Olympic Carrier]]'', destroyed in "[[33]]" after an apparent Cylon takeover. Multiple ships of the same model, including the ''Pan Galactic'' and ''Sagitarrian Spaceways'' are still part of the fleet.
* ''[[Gemini]]'', FTL-capable freighter which Valerii escorts to the convoy. ([[Mini-Series]])
* ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'', mentioned frequently and notable for several reasons:
**First (reported) human birth after the exodus from the Colonies ([[33]])
**Where [[Ellen Tigh]] was suddenly discovered three weeks after the attack ([[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]])
**Where Ellen Tigh intended her husband to meet with allies of [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Colonial Day]])
* ''[[Coronis]]'' ([[Litmus]], [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/106/deleted1.html deleted scene])
* ''[[Virgon Express]]'' ([[Water]])
* ''[[Astral Queen]]'', prison ship noted for carrying 1500 prisoners, including [[Tom Zarek]] ([[Bastille Day]])
* ''[[Scorpia Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that carried a suicide bomber copy of [[Aaron Doral]] ([[Litmus]])
* ''[[Gemenon Liner 1701]]'', greeted by Colonial One shortly after Laura Roslin's hasty inauguration.
* ''[[Gemenon Traveler]]'', a civilian ship that a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] was captured on ([[Flesh and Bone]])
**The above two appear to be of identical configuration, and may be the same ship.
* ''[[Cloud Nine]]'', a luxury liner desgined to mimick the enviroment of a habitable planet.
**Meeting place of the [[Quorum of Twelve]]. ([[Colonial Day]])
**Base of operations for [[Demand Peace]]. ([[Epiphanies]])
* ''[[Zephyr]]'' ([[Fragged]])
* ''[[Tauranian]]'', a refinery ship ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Gideon]]'', a supply ship involved in an incident where four civilians were killed by ''Galactica'' marines. ([[Resistance]])
* ''[[Kimba Huta]]'', a cold storage vessel on which exiled President Roslin hid from Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh. ([[The Farm]])
* ''[[Monarch]]'', a mining ship that joined the [[Laura Roslin faction]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Adriatic]]'', a member of the Roslin faction armed with ship-to-ship missiles ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Striker]]'', damaged in a refuelling operation overseen by Capt. [[George Birch]] ([[Home, Part I]])
* ''[[Celestra]] (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Space Park]]'' (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Flattop]]'', a [[salvage and repair]] ship (Identified on official Sci-Fi Channel web site but not yet seen in aired episode)
* ''[[Freighter 212]]'', a ship [[Louanne Katraine]] apparently has some "buddies" on ([[Final Cut]])
* ''[[Baah Pakal]]'', a ship carrying unused [[DDG-62]] engines onboard ([[Flight of the Phoenix]])
*''[[Botanical Cruiser]]'' (While the original was destroyed in the [[Mini-Series]], various background shots have placed an [[FTL]]-equiped Botanical Cruiser in the fleet.)
* ''[[Daru Mozu]]'', a [[tylium]] refinery ship. Damaged by a suicide bomber in [[Epiphanies]].
* ''[[Greenleaf]]'', a freighter where [[Asha Janik]] was a maintenance worker before being recruited to ''Galactica'''s machine shop.
* ''[[McConnell]]'', a supply ship frequented by Commander [[Jack Fisk]].
* ''[[Prometheus]]'', an "off the grid" freighter and the den of mercenary-turned-crime boss [[Phelan]].
* ''[[Majahual]]'', a mining ship seen in "[[Scar]]".
In the episode "[[The Farm]]", 24 ships leave the Fleet to return to Kobol. [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] provides the following breakdown:
*12 transports - incl. the ''Astral Queen'', and the ''Gemenon Traveller''
*7 freighters
*3 construction platforms
*1 private cruiser
*1 mining ship - the ''Monarch''.

===Demographics===

A few points of information are available concerning the demographics of the Fleet. In "[[33]]", before the destruction of the Olympic Carrier, there were 5,251 survivors from Sagittaron and 49,998 total survivors. In "[[Home, Part I]]", the [[Laura Roslin faction]] left the Fleet with 18,000 individuals, of which 9,500 were Gemenons and 6,250 were Capricans. At that time the total population of the fleet was 47,857.

This information is sparse, but it gives a general idea of the population breakdown of the Fleet if a few assumptions are made for the sake of argument.
*Note that Gemenon and Caprica had more citizens in the Roslin faction alone than Sagittaron had in the entire Fleet. The Twelve Colonies are clearly not represented in equal proportion.
*Before the destruction of the ''Olympic Carrier'', Sagittaron natives made up 10.50% of the fleet. Solely for the purpose of argument, we assume that the ''Olympic Carrier'''s population breakdown was identical to the rest of the fleet's and that Sagittaron continues to make up 10.50% of the Fleet's total population.
*The figures from the Roslin faction can be viewed in several ways:
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics1.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 1: All Gemenons and Capricans jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction.
::*Caprica: 6,250 persons (13.06%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 27,081 (56.59%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics2.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 2: All Gemenons jumped to Kobol with the Roslin faction, lured by the "religion card", but Caprican portion of the Roslin faction was representative of the Fleet.
::*Caprica: 28,204 persons (58.93%)
::*Gemenon: 9,500 persons (19.85%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 5,127 persons (10.72%)<br clear="both">
<div style="float:right; margin:10px">[[Image:Demographics3.png]]</div>
:*ASSUMPTION 3: Caprican and Gemenon portions of the Roslin faction were representative of the fleet.
::*Caprica: 16,617 persons (34.72%)
::*Gemenon: 25,258 persons (52.78%)
::*Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (10.50%)
::*Others: 956 (2.00%)<br clear="both">
*Although it is plausible that the Caprican population is substantially larger than the other colonies, as ''Colonial Heavy 798'' was in the vicinity when the attack began, and was the nucleus around which the fleet rallied, it is unlikely that the populations of each colony are grossly unequal, or else the [[Quorum of Twelve]] would be a very poor system of government. The likeliest scenario is therefore probably somewhere in between Assumptions 1 and 2, with nearly all of the Gemenon population (drawn by the "religion card") and a large portion of the Caprican population leaving with Roslin.

As for population distribution, we know the population of ''Galactica'' (2,693 as of [[Water]]), the ''Olympic Carrier'' (1,345 as of [[33]]) and ''Astral Queen'' (1,500 as of [[Bastille Day]], [[List of retcons (RDM)|retconned]] up from 500 in the mini-series). There are 176 civillians in the cargo hold of [[Colonial One]] in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]". The fleet is stated at about 75 ships in "[[Resistance]]", retconned up from 40 in the mini.
*Going by the 75 ship count, the remaining ships besides ''Galactica'' and the ''Astral Queen'' each carry about 600 persons on average.
*The 23 ships that left with the [[Laura Roslin faction]], apart from the ''Astral Queen'', would have an average population of about 720 persons per ship.

==Notes==

In the [[Mini-Series]], astute viewers may recognize three spacecraft with notable resemblances of ships from other SF universes. These ships aren't considered a [[Canon|canonical]] part of the series or the Fleet, but their appearance adds a bit of humor and pays homage to other notable science fiction and their creative staff.

* ''Serenity'', the central ship from the TV series "Firefly" and the motion picture, "[http://www.serenitymovie.com/ Serenity]", appears briefly in the sky outside the window of a doctor's office where viewers first see Laura Roslin.

* The original USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701) from the original ''[http://www.startrek.com Star Trek]'' TV series makes a cameo in the last shot of the Fleet as [[Elosha]] chants a prayer in the memorial service near the end of the Mini-Series.

*The ill-fated [[Botanical Cruiser]] was added in homage to the [[Agro Ship]] from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original ''Battlestar Galactica'']] TV series, which in turn were the re-used models from the SF film ''[[IMDB:Silent Running|Silent Running]]'', a Universal/MCA movie that special effects guru [[John Dykstra]] worked on a few years prior to the Original Series.

[[Category: A to Z]] [[Category: RDM]] [[Category: Terminology]]

Battlestar Wiki talk:Spoiler Policy

2005-09-05T20:21:49Z

Howlader:

== Complaints and Concerns ==

I hate the spoiler policy. I don't want to be spoiled. I won't be using or contributing to the site significantly until after the end of the season and before you start spoiling season 3.

Character summaries in particular should be free of spoilers like "died in tbe episode Scattered," (before it aired), especially when the character doesn't die in Scattered after all when it finally airs.

Socinus lives!

-MHall

: I personally go by group consensus. If the consensus is that spoiler information is used, then that's the consensus; if it is vice-versa, then spoiler information isn't used (or packaged so as not to spoil the casual reader). As we're an '''information resource and episode guide''', spoilers are a necessary evil. Some of the spoiler information changes from script to shooting, hence the inaccurate statement of Socinus' death in "Scattered"; it doesn't preclude him dying later on due to his injuries, so he may still die this season.

: For instance, I noted that details often change from the initial script to the final shooting. Permit me to use Boomer as an example: her being a human Cylon was never in the previous versions of the mini-series script, but changed -- indirectly -- after one of Ron Moore's friends made a quip about there not being a "By your command" line in the script. (That information came from the mini-series DVD commentary track.) -- [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 09:41, 17 Jul 2005 (EDT)

Actually, I think that there is no way of making a spoiler-free version for everybody and making it work, too - because some country will always be the last to air the show, and by then, parts of the rest of the world will have forgotten about it already.

There is however one exception: There should really be no spoilers for shows that have not even aired, or at least not anywhere but that episode's summary. Otherwise, there is really no way one can enjoy this wiki ''and'' the show. (Happened for me with Home II.) I would even go as far as extending the no-spoilers for not-yet-aired shows for 24 hrs after the show, again, with the exception of the episodes's page. Because, let's fact it, lots of people will use P2P to see the show, because otherwise it would be years until they get to see it. (And if they are unlucky, they would have to see a synchronised version, too.) So the latter suggestion would enable them to look up things here while not having to wait for the show to arrive.

And one final thing: Spoiling from the scripts does not even make much sense - as the first poster on this page points out; and the audio comments imply the same. So my guess would be that spoiling not-yet aired shows will put off users from using this site, which is hardly a good thing, and it doesn't make much sense in the first place to do so, because the scripts will not air the way they were written, anyway. So I really would suggest a <u> No spoilers for unaired shows</u> policy. -- [[User:Still not king|Still not king]] 12:32, 28 August 2005 (EDT)

::I agree. We gain very little by jumping the gun on upcoming episode spoilers - for example, I didn't need to know that spoileriffic note on the episode summary for [[Resurrection Ship]] at all. There's no reason not to be patient with these things. I do not agree, however, with a 24 hour injunction against posting episode details - we should be able to start wiki-ing as soon as it airs in our respective timezones. If we want to stay spoiler free on the west coast, we can always just not log on during the three hour window. Likewise, when the brits start getting Season 2, Part II before we do, we shouldn't force ourselves to wait for the U.S. airings. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 12:45, 28 August 2005 (EDT)

:::I was intentionally proposing ''just'' 24 hours - that is what it might take to get to see the show if you have to get it by P2P, and in the meantime, one might still want to check out something -- not the episode summary, of course, but a plain page about a character. It's a minor part of my proposal, though -- the important one is No spoilers of unaired shows. -- [[User:Still not king|Still not king]] 20:13, 28 August 2005 (EDT)

::::I really like the idea of not posting regarding unaired shows. There's no way to avoid spoilers for shows that have aired already, but the show doesn't really exist until it's aired, in a way (insofar that it might be changed). I also really like the idea of a 24-hour wait period after the first (and thus, British, right?) air time. A day isn't that long, really, and I'm not sure about anyone else, but these episodes make my mind race and I'd probably be too excited if I went straight from the sofa to the computer after watching. --[[User:Day|Day]] 14:35, 29 August 2005 (EDT)

:::::One of the nice things about the wiki system is that if you post something innacurate or overzealous, someone else can come along and tone it down a bit. I'm starting a vote. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 15:03, 29 August 2005 (EDT)

:This is rediculous. You come onto a site that has a quite obvious spoiler policy on the front fage, you go to read about upcoming episodes, and then you cry about being spoiled. Gee, obviously the best way to solve this is to stop people from posting new information. [[User:Kuralyov|Kuralyov]] 08:51, 31 August 2005 (EDT)

:The whole debate is a bit odd to me. "Spoilers" by definition have to do with un-aired episodes, and anything written about un-aired episodes is, by definition, speculation. That speculation may be more informed or less, but it's still just that, ''speculation''. You have to watch the episode to find out what actually happens. If anything maybe there should be a reminder on un-aired ep pages that the information may or may not be accurate. Back in the day, there was another sci-fi show, "Babylon 5" which had/has a website much like this one - "The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5." The Lurker's Guide, while being an accurate and detailed guide to the show, was also a haven for every kind of spoilage and speculation imaginable, which I and many others found only enhanced our enjoyment of the show. --[[User:Astarte|Astarte]] 05:22, 3 September 2005 (EDT)

::I was also a fan of the lurker's guide. I think an important difference here is that the production staff of B5 (ie, JMS) were very tight-lipped and conscious of avoiding big spoilers. The staff of the Re-imagined series have been much looser, and credible spoilers for various production details have been leaked far and wide throughout the first half of the second season. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 13:25, 3 September 2005 (EDT)

== Spoiler Warning ==

How about episode pages that have not been aired yet get a spoiler tag, so that people that can contribute to them knowing full well that they'll likely be spoiled? Same can be done with character and event pages, so that information introduced to them from episodes not yet aired can also be used on this Wiki without fear of spoiling those that do not wish it. Thoughts?-- [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 09:39, 31 August 2005 (EDT)

:I'm afraid it wouldn't do me much good, since I read the diffs on everything on the recent edits page anyway. Maybe we could allow spoilers on episode summary pages but discourage them elsewhere? Avoiding the episode summaries isn't very hard. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 12:11, 31 August 2005 (EDT)

I found this problem with the Pegasus ep and related data. I wanted to keep the Fall of the Twelve Colonies page accurate with what we knew about surviving Battlestars, but this is still a spoiler, so the data there is left a bit vague unless someone digs for it. Still, a spoiler is a spoiler. The talk page would satisfy both spoiler-hunter and seeker on an episode article. We'd just need to add a "Spoiler" topic there, and note to people that if you are going to see an episode page for a show that hasn't aired, you are asking for it, literally. At least the talk page has an extra layer for avoiders to have, but because of the nature of this wiki, eliminating spoilers takes away a lot of the research fun. Data's gotta go somewhere and we can't commit the juicy bits for the main page to memory until the ep is aired. [[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 12:40, 31 August 2005 (EDT)

::This is going to be awkward, but I feel like we should add this as an option in the vote. Also adding a note on approval voting. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 12:53, 31 August 2005 (EDT)

:::I dislike the thought of having to move massive amounts of text. So far, I've been avoiding pages to do with unaired episodes. That's easy enough. My main concern is someone clicking through and wondering, "Who the ''heck'' is Gina?", thinking it's some pilot who's name they missed or some small character. Then they read about an episode they didn't want to. Or, in another case, someone reading all about Lee and the information going on, at the end, past the most recent episode. I think keeping character pages clear is the better idea. --[[User:Day|Day]] 17:01, 1 September 2005 (EDT)

=== Subpage? ===

How about comitting spoilers to a subpage of an article? For instance, [[Pegasus (episode)]] would have a subpage called [[Pegasus (episode)/Spoilers]]? I believe that would be fairly straight forward, given the title of the subpage. :-)

Then, after the episode airs, we can simply merge the contents together from the spoiler page into the main page of the article in question. Just my view. -- [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 12:48, 31 August 2005 (EDT)

:This sounds like a lot of work. I actually agree with Spencerian that anyone who clicks on the episode page for an unaired episode is explicitly asking for it. Additionally, those are easy edits to avoid reading. I'm going to go and complicate things now... --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 12:53, 31 August 2005 (EDT)

:: It does, but my intent was to just throw this out there to see what everyone else thought. -- [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 13:01, 31 August 2005 (EDT)

:::See my note above for my thoughts on having to merge things. --[[User:Day|Day]] 17:01, 1 September 2005 (EDT)

== What is a spoiler? ==
In response to Day's query below ("So what constitutes a spoiler for this new voting catagory?"): I believe a spoiler is anything from an as-yet-unaired show. Examples: Lucy Lawless's character, Cain, Gina, etc. I think the revelation about Boomer is fair game, as that was the end of the Mini-Series. It's hard to escape that fact when most press articles now refer to her as a Cylon. For the purposes of my argument and vote, a "spoiler" is any information that has not yet been broadcast. Is that a fair assessment? -- [[User:Ryq|ryq]] 16:40, 1 September 2005 (EDT)

:I concur with this definition. I just thought it would pay to be absolutely clear. --[[User:Day|Day]] 16:56, 1 September 2005 (EDT)

:What about various countries using this page? What an Australian considers a spoiler may already be known via broadcast in the states. Using this logic, spoiler pages could end up lasting for literally months after an original broadcast. --[[User:adedward|Adedward]] 16:15, 3 September 2005 (EDT)

:: Which is a problem with a "no spoiler" spoiler policy... Different countries see episodes at different times. Fact of the matter remains that there will always be spoilers within the wiki, so there will always be an "all spoilers permitted" policy -- in that way. The current discussion, however, is more towards spoiling episodes that haven't aired ''anywhere''. -- [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 18:37, 3 September 2005 (EDT)

==Vote==

Vote for as many options as you agree with. Voting method is [[Wikipedia:Approval Voting|approval voting]] - place your name under every policy which would be acceptable to you; the policy acceptable to the most users wins.

Spoilers in this vote refer to details of unaired episodes. As an encyclopedia, cataloging information from already aired episodes is what we do, and is not in question.

===All spoilers permitted (current policy)===
# [[User:Kuralyov|Kuralyov]] 08:47, 31 August 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Wingsandsword|Wingsandsword]] 21:38, 1 September 2005 (EDT) This a reference, let's act like it. If we have reliable information, share it with others.
# --[[User:Astarte|Astarte]] 04:50, 3 September 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:adedward|Adedward]] 04:11pm, 3 September 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Talos|Talos]] 07:50pm, 3 September 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Laven|Laven]] 06:00, 5 September 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Howlader|Howlader]] 1622, 5 September 2005 (EDT)

===No spoilers except for episode pages===
# --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 12:53, 31 August 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 13:04, 31 August 2005 (EDT)
# --Zareck Rocks 15:00, 31 August 2005 (EDT)--
# --[[User:Day|Day]] 16:57, 1 September 2005 (EDT) (I'm apparently being convinced).
# --[[User:Dawn|Dawn]] 02:16, 2 September 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Cp.hayes|cp.hayes]] 19:55, 2 September 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Redwall|Redwall]] 09:21, 4 September 2005 (EDT)

===No spoilers except for episode talk pages===
# --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 12:35, 31 August 2005 (EDT) (To compromise, make the episode's <b>TALK</b> page fair game for spoiler data.)
# --[[User:Ryq|ryq]] 19:40, 31 August 2005 (EDT) (I agree with Spencerian's addendum)

===No spoilers until after first episode airdate===
# --[[User:cp.hayes|cp.hayes]] 22:49, 29 August 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 12:35, 31 August 2005 (EDT) (To compromise, make the episode's <b>TALK</b> page fair game for spoiler data.)
# --[[User:Ryq|ryq]] 19:40, 31 August 2005 (EDT) (I agree with Spencerian's addendum)
# --[[User:Day|Day]] 22:45, 31 August 2005 (EDT) (So what constitutes a spoiler for this new voting catagory? Does this mean in the Mini-Series episode article, we have to take out the revelation about Boomer's heritage and move it to the talk page? Or does this new thing mean that information about unaired episodes goes on their talk pages until they've aired (or 24 hours after) when we can then move it to the main page? This new thing confuses me, which I think is apparent.)
# [[User:Philwelch|Philwelch]] 22:06, 1 September 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Dawn|Dawn]] 02:15, 2 September 2005 (EDT)

===No spoilers until after first episode airdate + 24 hours===
# --[[User:QuintusCinna|QuintusCinna]]
# --[[User:Day|Day]] 00:19, 30 August 2005 (EDT)
# [[User:Philwelch|Philwelch]] 22:06, 1 September 2005 (EDT)
# --[[User:Dawn|Dawn]] 02:15, 2 September 2005 (EDT)