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Leland Adama

2007-03-12T08:28:54Z

Jjlevin: /* Notes */

:''The article discusses the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] character with the pilot callsign of "Apollo." For information on his [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] counterpart, see [[Apollo (TOS)]].''

{{Character Data
|photo= Season 3 Lee.jpg
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= Lee Adama
|callsign= Apollo
|seen= Miniseries
|death=
|parents= [[Caroline Adama]] (mother, likely deceased), [[William Adama]] (father)
|siblings= [[Zak Adama]] †
|children=1 unborn child with [[Gianne]] (presumed deceased)
|marital status= Married to [[Anastasia Dualla]]
|role=''de facto'' Commander Air Group, battlestar ''Galactica''
|rank=Major
|cylon=
|actor=[[Jamie Bamber]]
|name=
}}

== Biographical Notes ==

=== Background ===

'''Lee "Apollo" Adama''' is the eldest son of [[Caroline Adama|Caroline]] and [[William Adama]]. Together with his younger brother, Zak, he was raised largely by his mother on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], following his parents' divorce when he was eight.

Despite his father's estrangement from the family, Adama nevertheless inherited his passion for flying - a passion that saw him enrolling in the Colonial military reserves after graduating from college. Following his basic training, he graduated from the military academy third in his class and immediately applied for flight school.

Not to be outdone by his elder brother, Zak Adama applied for military service, a move that eventually brought tragedy to the Adama household.

Accepted into flight school, Adama proved himself a gifted and natural pilot, hampered only by his tendency to over-intellectualise things - a result of his upbringing with his mother, who encouraged him to read widely, and think freely (encouragement that led him to read banned texts by the renegade [[Tom Zarek]] while at college ([[Bastille Day]]).

Graduating from flight school, Adama was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Colonial Reserve, flying the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] Mark VII. During this time, he was also introduced to [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]], a training instructor at flight school, who was also involved with Zak Adama. While Adama was still at flight school, the three frequently spent time together, and Adama and Thrace developed a friendship through Zak Adama ([[Miniseries]]).

=== Brother's Death ===

Tragedy struck some two years prior to the renewed [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] attack on the Twelve Colonies when Zak Adama, recently graduated from flight school, was killed on a routine Viper mission. At the time, the cause of the accident was put down to pilot error. However, Lee Adama chose to blame the mishap on his father, whom he believed had pushed Zak into applying for military service and for applying for flight school ([[Miniseries]]).

Following Zak's death, Lee Adama became estranged from his father, seeking to build his career well away from any influence exerted by either William Adama or the legendary [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', his father's command. While he was successful in this - gaining promotion to Captain through his own abilities, the decision nevertheless placed a heavy strain on his friendship with Kara Thrace, as she applied for pilot duty aboard ''Galactica''.

Adama spent much time on Caprica and becomes engaged to a woman named [[Gianne]]. She told him she is pregnant with their child, causing him to run from her due to his own family issues. Before he can speak with her again he is assigned to take part in the decommissioning ceremony aboard ''Galactica'' ([[Black Market]]).

Adama is reunited with both his father and Kara Thrace when ''Galactica'' is to be decommissioned as a [[Galactica Museum|living museum and educational center]] of the [[Cylon War]]. As a part of the final ceremonies marking ''Galactica's'' retirement, Lee Adama participates in a final Viper flyby to salute both the ship and her commanding officer - an assignment he undertakes grudgingly, doing little to hide his true feelings from the moment he arrives on the battlestar ([[Miniseries]]). Matters are not helped when he discovers he will fly not in his own [[Viper Mark VII|Mark VII Viper]], but in a newly-restored [[Viper Mark II]] his father had flown during the Cylon War ([[Miniseries]]).

Things worsen after the PR official aboard ''Galactica'', [[Aaron Doral]], sees Captain Adama's presence on ''Galactica'' as a major PR opportunity and has Adama and his father pose for pictures together. Immediately following this, Adama confronts his father over his brother's death, venting two years' worth of anger and belief that his father was responsible for the loss of his brother.

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

Following the decommissioning ceremony, Lee Adama departs ''Galactica'', acting as an unofficial escort for ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'', the official transport for Secretary of Education [[Laura Roslin]], who represented President [[Richard Adar|Adar]] at the ceremony. Midway through their return to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], Adama and the crew of ''Colonial Heavy 798'' hear of the Cylon attacks on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]], and soon find themselves under direct attack. Adama is able to thwart a missile attack, but his father's old Viper is disabled. Aboard ''Colonial Heavy 798''. Adama becomes one of Laura Roslin's unofficial advisors, aiding her in her self-appointed rescue mission. Adama's annoyance of his father's old Viper comes back to haunt him when [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]], returning from her unexpected rescue mission on Caprica and disastrous attack on two [[Cylon Raider]]s, notes to him that other Vipers and other modern Colonial spacecraft like his Mark VII were [[Command Navigation Program|easily destroyed]] by Cylon attacks.

Adama again saves ''Colonial Heavy 798'' from a nuclear missile attack with a failed experiment he toyed with in [[War College]], using ''Galactica's'' [[EMP]] coils that were placed on the ship for return to Caprica and the Colonial Fleet - while simultaneously making it look like the ship had been destroyed. He supports Roslin in her rescue efforts, persuading Roslin to lead the [[FTL]]-capable ships to follow ''Galactica'' to [[Ragnar Anchorage]].

As the ranking pilot aboard ''Galactica'', and despite his relative inexperience, Adama finds himself promoted to the position of [[CAG]] by Colonel [[Saul Tigh]].

Apollo leads a Viper squadron in keeping [[Cylon Raider]]s at bay while the civilian [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] Jumps away from Ragnar Anchorage. His ship is badly damaged midway in the battle and Adama would have been killed by a missile were it not for the lightning-fast and highly-accurate shooting of Starbuck. Starbuck's highly unconventional flying force-fits her fighter and Adama's now-powerless Viper nose-to-nose and flies him back to the battlestar seconds before the port [[flight pod]] closes and ''Galactica'' Jumps away.

=== Special Advisor ===
[[image:Water_Apollo_Roslin.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Lee Adama|Adama]] and President Roslin shake hands after appointment as military advisor in "[[Water]]". (c) Universal)]]
Adama's work as Roslin's "special advisor" to further help her understand military matters does not sit well with his father ([[Bastille Day]]).

In the weeks following the Cylon attack, Adama finds time to re-evaluate his relationship with his father - due in no small part to Starbuck's admission of her involvement in Zak's acceptance as a fighter pilot ([[Miniseries]]) and his subsequent death. Father and son grow somewhat closer - even standing shoulder-to-shoulder when Starbuck is MIA ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]). Even so, Adama's former self-doubts and moodiness are not easily overcome and sometimes come back to haunt him when he is tasked to fill a role that others are unsure he can manage. As a Viper pilot, Adama is able to escape from Starbuck's shadow, proving himself capable in unconventional and skilled flying in the [[Battle for the Tylium Asteroid]] ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]).

After the tylium asteroid mission, Adama matures enormously, emerging from his shell as a somewhat disillusioned officer and becomes a practical leader who now comfortably straddles his responsibilities as [[CAG]] of ''Galactica'' with his duties as advisor to Roslin. With few issues with either Roslin or his father, Adama demonstrates his maturity particularly well in his handling of security arrangements for the initial meeting of Roslin's [[Quorum of Twelve]] aboard the luxury liner ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' ([[Colonial Day]]).

=== The Inner Conflicts at Kobol ===

Unfortunately, Adama's beliefs in the need for democratic representation and civil government brings him in direct conflict with orders given him by Commander Adama. During the arrest of Laura Roslin following her [[Arrow of Apollo|interference with military operations]], Captain Adama draws his gun on [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] in a direct act of mutiny, protesting his father's removal of Roslin from office. Arrested together with Roslin, Adama watches helplessly in [[CIC]] as [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Lieutenant Valerii]] shoots his father at point blank range, seriously wounding him ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]).

Adama is temporarily furloughed by Colonel Tigh so that he can continue his CAG responsibilities, For a time, Commander Adama's initiative lives on through his son. Young Adama leads a fight with Cylons to buy time for ''Galactica'' to find its proper bearings to the civilian Fleet ([[Scattered]]), He leads a team of [[Marines]] to stop [[Cylon Centurion]]s from reaching [[Aft Damage Control]], saving the ship ([[Valley of Darkness]]). After that, Adama continues his initiative and leads a [[SAR]] mission with two [[Raptors]] to retrieve stranded Colonials on the surface of Kobol ([[Fragged]]).

Adama's desire to let democracy work without overt military action comes to a head once more as he plots with a handful of others to free Roslin and smuggle her away from ''Galactica'' ([[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]). Before he leaves, he apologizes to his unconscious Commander Adama at his bedside for what he is about to do: Leave with Roslin and a [[Laura Roslin faction|faction]] of ships to search for data on Earth on Kobol. Commander Adama begins to awaken just as young Adama leaves his side.

On the ''[[Astral Queen]]'', Adama is so happy to see Kara Thrace had returned safely from Caprica with the [[Arrow of Apollo]] that he hugs and also impulsively kisses her, pleasantly surprising Thrace. Moments later, as the Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii entered, Adama instantly grabs the known [[Humanoid Cylon]] in anger and would have killed her if Helo and Roslin did not intervene.
[[image:Home_pt1-Apollo_Starbuck.jpg|thumb|[[Lee Adama|Adama]] and Kara Thrace speak aboard the ''Astral Queen'' in "Home, Part I". (c) Universal)]]
Later, with their military protocols and attitudes temporarily relaxed, Adama playfully teases the brooding Kara Thrace by stealing a [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]] ball she took as a keepsake from her time with [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] on Caprica. He returns the ball after sensing her depressed mood and tells her that he would be happy to listen to what was on her mind. In the same conversation, he lets it slip out that he loves Thrace. Amused, Thrace cheers up a bit and teases Adama, telling him that there are no take-backs on what he said ([[Home, Part I]]).

Adama and Thrace join President Roslin and her other supporters on their quest to find the [[Tomb of Athena]] on Kobol. When Cylon Centurions ambush the group along an ancient trail, Adama and Thrace work well together in the fight, complementing each other for their fine shooting. During the incident, Adama chases what appeared to be an escaping Valerii, with Thrace calling Adama back in vain. Valerii takes a grenade launcher and aims it in the direction of Adama, but Valerii actually uses the weapon to destroy the last Centurion instead before dropping the weapon to a very surprised Adama.

Adama's reunion with his recovered father on Kobol further mends the wounds between them, both politically and personally. Like Captain Adama had done on the ''Queen'', his father reacts violently to the existence of a another copy of Valerii, leaving Captain Adama in the awkward position of defending her from his father.

In the virtual planetarium created by the Tomb of Athena, Adama is the party member that completes the mystery of interpreting how to use the constellations as viewed from Earth to make a flight path. He spots the [[Wikipedia:Lagoon Nebula|Lagoon Nebula]] in the sky where the Scorpius constellation resided, a celestial body known to the Colonials which gives them a reference point to navigate to Earth. His father confirms Adama's observation, noting that the nebula is far away from their current location at Kobol.

After the Fleet's reunification, Lee Adama is fully restored to flight status and his position as the Commander, Air Group ([[Final Cut]]). Apollo doubts that [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] could successfully complete a prototype fighter later known as the [[Blackbird]], but in the end aids in its first test flight with Starbuck. Around this time, Adama begins to develop a peculiar attraction to Petty Officer 2nd Class [[Anastasia Dualla]] ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).

===Reassignment===

Apollo is on [[CAP]] when the [[Mercury class battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' reunites with ''Galactica'': he was one of the first to see it up close. Soon afterwards, friction develops between Adama and the CAG of ''Pegasus'', Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]. Taylor feels that Adama's pilots were undisciplined and implies that Adama has his position through his father's influence. Taylor recommends that Adama have his pilots focus on keeping a "killcount" of Raiders to encourage competition between his pilots, while Adama stresses that his first priority is to make sure that all of his pilots merely survive another day.

To Adama's shock, Admiral [[Helena Cain]] re-assigns him and Lt. Thrace to ''Pegasus'', under Taylor's command. Cain believes that having Commander Adama's son in the role of CAG was a mistake that had clouded Commander Adama's judgment, as young Adama had been insubordinate and even [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|mutinous]] in the past. During a briefing on an upcoming scouting mission against the Cylon fleet following them, Thrace crassly points out that it would never work. She is grounded while Taylor orders Adama to perform the humiliating task of co-piloting a Raptor. However, after the briefing, Adama surreptitiously gives Starbuck a surveillance package and tells her to take the Blackbird to carry out a recon mission on her own. When Commander Adama and Admiral Cain turn on each other, Apollo is away in Taylor's Raptor on his recon mission ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).

As the two battlestar commanders begin sparring with Vipers, ''Pegasus'' orders Taylor to relieve Adama of duty. Taylor pulls his sidearm and takes away Adama's. Now weaponless and with nothing more to do than to ride along, Adama asks permission to head to the rear of the Raptor. While Taylor is busy, Adama secretly sends an encoded [[wireless]] message to Starbuck on her whereabouts with the Blackbird and the secret stealth mission he tasked her with. It happened that Starbuck arrives back in the Fleet's space to see the furious and dangerous game of Viper-tag and replies to Adama, asking what was going on. Starbuck's return on the outer fringes of [[DRADIS]] activate proximity alarms on both ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica'', whose Vipers unite as a team to intercept what they think is a [[Raider]]. Starbuck manages to identify herself before things get out of hand.

Cain feels that persecuting young Adama for authorizing Thrace's mission would be odd since she was promoting Thrace for her work on her recon mission. Thrace successfully returns Adama to flight status, but demoted to Lieutenant ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).

=== Battle of the Resurrection Ship ===

While Thrace plans an assault on the Resurrection Ship and the two [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s defending it, she tells Adama that his father has ordered her to kill Cain after the battle, and asks Adama to watch her back. Outraged, Adama confronts his father with this, shocked to learn it was President Roslin's idea. Thrace assigns Adama the specific task of disabling the Resurrection Ship's [[FTL]] drive by sneaking up on it in the [[Blackbird]] and destroying it with a precision missile strike. Apollo succeeds, but the Blackbird collides with a [[Raptor]]. Apollo is able to eject, but the Blackbird is destroyed. Alive, but not unscathed, Apollo floats in space watching the battle take place, able to faintly hear Dualla calling for him over [[wireless]]. His damaged [[flight suit]] leaves him in hypoxia, drifting in and out of consciousness, found shortly afterwards by a [[SAR|SAR Raptor]] and resuscitated. Adama becomes despondent and distant from his friends and family after his near-death experience. In the pilot's locker room, Thrace tells Adama "Let's just be glad that we both came back alive, alright?" to which Adama responds "That's just it, Kara, I didn't want to make it back alive" ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).

=== The Black Market ===

Captains Adama and Thrace apprehend Viper saboteur [[Asha Janik]] of the [[Demand Peace]] group after she sabotages Viper ammunition.

After President Roslin is saved from her illness, she begins trying to put down the Fleet's [[Black market (organization)|black market]]. New ''Pegasus'' commander [[Jack Fisk]] is soon murdered, leaving the elder Adama (now an Admiral) to assign his son to investigate. With his association with prostitute [[Shevon]] and her daughter [[Paya]] on ''[[Cloud 9]]'' [[Anastasia Dualla]] asks where the relationship between the two of them was heading. After he hesitates, Dualla takes it to mean it is over. Rushing to help Shevon after her call for help, the captain is ambushed by Phelan's men. Waking up from the attack, he finds the Fisk's murder weapon, and the body of Fisk's murderer.

With some help from [[Tom Zarek]], unwilling to accept the neatly-wrapped up case of Fisk's murderer or the missing Shevon, Adama finds the black market's main ship, the ''[[Prometheus]]''. He finds Paya and other children locked in a storage room. He confronts Phelan, who tells him a black market is necessary, since some supplies may never reach needy people any other way. After Phelan admits running a child prostitution ring, Adama shoots Phelan, and tells his bodyguards that the market can continue operations, unless it keeps holding back essential medicines, begins killing, or returns to child prostitution.

Shevon refuses to see Adama anymore, realizing that Adama has tried to use her and Paya as replacements in his mind for his lost fiancé [[Gianne]] and their unborn child ([[Black Market]]).

===Friendly Fire===

While on leave to ''[[Cloud 9]]'' with [[Anastasia Dualla]], a group of terrorists seize a bar and demand the second copy of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] for execution, while they hold hostage approximately a dozen people, including Dualla, [[Billy Keikeya]], [[Ellen Tigh]] and Adama. The captain secretly sabotages the bar's sensors to appear as if it were leaking atmosphere. The sabotage enables Captain Thrace to gather intelligence on the situation, but her cover is blown, and she is forced to lay down some fire to escape. One shot hits Adama in the chest. Dualla is able to care for Adama long enough for him to survive to ''Galactica's'' sickbay, and later sat at his bedside while he recovers ([[Sacrifice]]).

===A Worthy Command ===

Adama finds himself promoted to Major and assigned to battlestar [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus]]'' to assess the new commander [[Barry Garner]], the former Chief Engineering Officer of ''Pegasus'', and the bad situation on the ship in general. His relationship with Dualla has become very intimate following his promotion and recovery. Garner finds an instant dislike for Kara Thrace, still assigned as ''Pegasus''' CAG, and orders her sent back to ''Galactica''. Against orders from Admiral Adama, Garner takes ''Pegasus'' in to search for two Raptors missing during a recon mission into a binary star system. His impulsive and unwise efforts result in the battlestar's ambush by three Cylon basestars.

With the FTL drive damaged after successive nuclear missile strikes, Garner relegates command to Major Adama and heads below to help in FTL repairs. After a moment's hesitation (perhaps thinking what his father would do), Adama orders the forward guns to fire on the nearest basestar's central spire, critically damaging the basestar and forcing its retreat, while commanding the battlestar's fighters (led by Starbuck) to guard embattled areas damaged from nuclear pummeling. Adama's attack buys time for Commander Garner to repair the FTL drive, enabling Adama to order ''Pegasus'' to escape back to the Fleet and relative safety.

Admiral Adama debriefs his son, and congratulates him by promoting him to the rank of Commander and giving him command of battlestar ''Pegasus'' ([[The Captain's Hand]]).

Sometime later, Adama wishes Thrace good luck in rescuing [[Samuel Anders]] and the rest of the [[Caprica Resistance|resistance group on Caprica]], despite his clear personal feelings towards her. After Thrace and Anders' return, Adama attempts to introduce himself politely, but is hampered by the couple's amorous and highly drunken behavior. When Thrace gives a rude comment, Adama bows out the area, beginning a quiet but palpable rift in their friendship. ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]])

[[Image:Apollo LDYBPII.JPG|thumb|left|Lee Adama in command of ''Pegasus'' ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).]]

=== On New Caprica ===
Four months later, Commander Adama and his [[Executive Officer|XO]], Lieutenant Dualla, are granted shore leave to attend a groundbreaking ceremony on the surface of New Caprica. After the ensuing party, with Dualla and Anders gone, Lee sleeps with Kara and proclaims his love for her, suggesting they break up with their respective partners. Lee wakes up the next morning only to find out that Kara has just married Anders. Hurt, he proposes to Dualla, who accepts ([[Unfinished Business]]).

Another eight months later, a year after the settlement, a half-manned ''Pegasus'' is still orbiting New Caprica. Commander Adama has gained a considerable amount of weight in the intervening year. He is in the process of deciding whether or not to supply Kara Thrace with [[antibiotics]] for Anders (suffering from pneumonia) when Dualla spots a massive Cylon fleet jumping into the nebula. Adama and his father briefly discuss their course of action; young Adama argues for an immediate emergency jump. Reluctantly, the Admiral orders the orbiting remains of the Fleet, whose population consists of around two thousand citizens, to escape, leaving New Caprica to the Cylons for the time being ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).
<br clear="both" />

=== Battle of New Caprica and Destruction of ''Pegasus'' ===

Commander Adama and his father get into a disagreement over whether or not a rescue mission should be mounted to New Caprica. Lee believes that it would end with the destruction of both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'', leaving the pitiful remnants of the Fleet at the mercy of the Cylons. Lee also objects to the Admiral's decision to reinstate [[Sharon Agathon]] as a Colonial Fleet officer to act as liaison between the New Caprica resistance and ''Galactica''. These disagreements lead to heated arguments between the two, prompting Admiral Adama to make a comment about Lee's weight by calling him a "fatass" and saying he has grown "soft" in the past year ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). Due to his son's objections, Admiral Adama decides to take ''Galactica'' to rescue the people on New Caprica alone. He gives his son orders to wait 18 hours for his return; if he does not return by then, Lee is to resume the search for Earth with what's left of the civilian fleet ([[Exodus, Part I]]).

Lee is certain that the elder Adama will not return, and he is conflicted between his duty to protect the civilians and his duty to his father. His wife's attempt at reassurance only serve to heighten his guilt. Leaving his ship's Vipers behind to protect the civilians, the Commander takes ''Pegasus'' to assist ''Galactica'', fully aware that he may very well be on a suicide mission. He joins the [[Battle of New Caprica]] just in time, saving his father's ship from certain destruction at the hands of four Cylon basestars; ''Pegasus'' immediately destroys one basestar with its forward guns. Lee then uses ''Pegasus'' to draw fire, giving ''Galactica'' time to escape. This action damages ''Pegasus'' beyond repair. Per his plan, Adama orders the crew to evacuate and sets the ship's batteries to be set on autofire; he is the last person to leave the CIC, thanking the ship as he departs. The small crew evacuates on Raptors and executes FTL jumps just as ''Pegasus'' rams a basestar, destroying itself in the process. One of its flight pods tumbles away from the force of the explosion and collides with another basestar in a final act of defiance ([[Exodus, Part II]]).

The Commander and his crew transfer to the last remaining battlestar, ''Galactica''. Still a Commander three days later, Lee reports directly to his father regarding important affairs within the Fleet, including the mysterious disappearances of 13 people confirmed to have survived the Exodus from New Caprica. Dissatisfied with his round appearance, he had also taken up a rigid exercise regimen and starts losing weight rapidly ([[Collaborators]]).

=== The Second Exodus ===

[[Image:Maj apollo in viper.jpg|thumb|right|Lee Adama back as a Major in the role of Galactica's CAG ([[Torn]]).]]
As of the episode "[[Torn]]", Lee has returned to the role of Galactica's CAG, with the rank of Major. When a dying basestar is discovered in the [[Lion's Head Nebula]], Adama leads a team of marines on it and captures several humanoid Cylons. When Doctor [[Cottle]] discovers that they are infected with a virus lethal to the Cylons, Adama advocates to use the prisoners as biological weapons in an attempt to exterminate the Cylons. The plan is approved but ultimately fails due to the intervention of [[Karl Agathon]] ([[A Measure of Salvation]]).

When [[Daniel Novacek|Bulldog]] arrives on ''Galactica'', Admiral Adama tells Lee about [[Valkyrie|the mission]] they executed together, and how he believes it has led to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon holocaust]]. Lee blames the admiralty instead, saying they wanted to provoke a war ([[Hero]]).

Along with his father, Adama develops a plan to lead the Fleet through a star cluster behind which [[Algae planet|desperately needed food supplies]] have been found. The Major himself pilots a Raptor in the actual mission, communicating jump coordinates to the civilian ships that have jumped into the star cluster. When [[Louanne Katraine]] dies after saving a [[Faru Sadin|civilian ship]], she is awarded the position of honorary CAG, making Adama the de facto CAG ([[The Passage]]). After most of the Fleet has arrived safely on the algae planet, Adama leads the food harvesting operations on the surface. Fourteen days into the harvesting mission, he meets with Kara Thrace and once again suggests they divorce their respective spouses. Thrace refuses to divorce and Adama refuses to cheat on his wife, deadlocking their relationship. When the [[Temple of Five]] is found on the planet and the Cylons show up, Adama is ordered to protect the temple from the Cylons, destroying it if necessary. He orders Starbuck to scout the terrain in her Raptor, which gets shot down by Centurions. After having sent Dualla to rescue Starbuck, the Major and his team attempt an ambush against a group of Centurions passing through a valley towards the temple. The ambush fails, and Adama orders his team to retreat and the temple to be blown. When trying to blow the temple, he and his team witness the algae planet's star going supernova, and realize that the nova is in fact the [[Eye of Jupiter]]. After the Cylon fleet has jumped away to escape the destruction of the planetary system, the ground team is picked up by a rescue party ("[[The Eye of Jupiter]]", "[[Rapture]]").

Lee is next seen treating his friend [[Galen Tyrol]] to a little surprise: A number of crew have created a bar, on the starboard hangar deck, complete with a Pyramid arcade game, an old Viper Mark II hanging above for atmosphere. Tyrol and Adama have a drink as they discuss their marital problems; Tyrol and his wife Cally have had an argument that has apparently left him "in the doghouse". Adama is reluctant to interact with his wife, [[Anastasia Dualla]], as his angst over his love of [[Kara Thrace]] continues to fight with him. Adama returns to his quarters, quite drunk, to find Dualla still awake and doing some work, apparently drinking some liquor or type of wine. She tries to confirm if they are still going to have dinner later that day as Lee dozes off, leaving Dualla disappointed. Later on Lee and Dualla have an argument about Kara Thrace and the future of their marriage. Dualla says that she married Adama because she loved him, choosing to have him for as long as he or Kara Thrace would let him. She resigns herself to her marriage's failure and tells Adama that she will not stand in his way if he were to choose Thrace over her. Dualla then leaves. Thrace and Lee Adama meet privately. When Thrace asks Adama if he loves her and would be with her if she were to leave Anders, Adama equivocates, remembering Thrace's fickleness [[Unfinished Business|after he declared his love a year before]]. Thrace leaves him to think about the situation.[[Image:3x13-Taking a Break From All Your Worries-Apollo.jpg|thumb|right|Lee Adama drinking in Joe's Bar ([[Taking a Break From All Your Worries]]).]]

Adama returns to the bar and drinks more, toying with his wedding band. He asks Chief Tyrol if he ever thought about what his future with [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]] would have been like, or had any regrets. With a quick drink, Tyrol replies in the negative. Adama stumbles back to his quarters, losing his wedding band somewhere in ''Galactica's'' corridors. Lee Adama and his wife meet in Joe's Bar. Adama, having since found his lost wedding ring, confesses that he has loved Dualla and how dedicated she has been to him, never realizing how much he needed her affection. As the two embrace, Adama tries to avoid looking across the bar at Kara Thrace and Anders. Thrace returns the glance before Adama breaks it off ([[Taking a Break From All Your Worries]]).

== Notes ==

*From [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s [[Wikipedia:blog|blog]], in response to a fan's question:

<blockquote>In my first draft of the [[Miniseries|mini]], Lee Adama had just been accepted into test pilot school on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] and was not currently assigned to any battlestar. Presumably, he had been posted to at least a couple of battlestar [[Air Group]]s in his career, as well as several ground assignments as well. This isn't canon yet, however, and I'm currently thinking of changing some elements of his specific backstory as I work on storylines for [[Season 2 (2005-06)|Season Two]]. Overall, I'd say Lee was striving (perhaps too hard) to blaze a different path for himself in the fleet from that of his [[William Adama|father]]. I don't think Lee ever saw himself as a battlestar commander and was looking for a different way to make his mark.</blockquote>
*According to Jamie Bamber, Adama's official character biography states that "Lee is never so happy as when he’s in his kitchen cooking."

*The subtitles under Apollo's name in "[[Final Cut]]" list him as "CFR". In the podcast, RDM explained that this stands for Colonial Fleet Reserves; and that Apollo is in that because, as stated above, he wasn't sure what he was doing with his life and wasn't sure if he was going to pursue a full career in the Fleet.
* Jamie Bamber is the husband of actress Kerry Norton, who portrays [[Layne Ishay]], the paramedic from "[[Scattered]]".
* Bamber is actually British, however, he plays Lee Adama with an American accent (presumably to more closely match the accent of [[Edward James Olmos]] who plays his father).
* Bamber's natural hair color is blonde, but his hair is dyed brown to play Apollo, so he will resemble [[Edward James Olmos]] more, who plays his characters' father.
*While [[Edward James Olmos]] and [[Mary McDonnell]] were hand-picked for their roles, the rest of the characters were cast by audition: among those in the running for the role of Apollo was ''Farscape'' and ''Stargate SG-1'' star [[Wikipedia:Ben Browder|Ben Browder]], though the role ultimately went to [[Jamie Bamber]].<ref>{{cite_book|last=Bassom|first=David|authorlink=|authorlinkurl=|coauthors=|year=2005|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|pages=23|editor=ed. Adam "Adama" Newell|publisher=Titan Books|location=|id=ISBN 1-84576-0972}}</ref>
*Admiral William Adama names his son to succeed him as commander of ''Galactica'' in his resignation letter ([[Hero]]) indicating how close they have become.

{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=[[Jackson Spencer|Jackson "Ripper" Spencer]]|title=[[Commander Air Group|Commander, Air Group]], ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''|after=[[George Birch|George "Catman" Birch]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[George Birch|George "Catman" Birch]]|title=[[Commander Air Group|Commander, Air Group]], ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''|after=[[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Barry Garner]]|title=Commanding Officer, ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''|after=''(none, ship destroyed)''}}
{{succession box|before=[[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]|title=[[Commander Air Group|Commander, Air Group]], ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''|after=[[Karl Agathon]]}}
{{end box}}

==References==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

== See Also ==

* [[Apollo (TOS)]]
* [[Richard Hatch]]
* [[Tom Zarek]]

== External Links ==
{{ext-scfipedia|article=Creator:Bamber on Apollo}}

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Adama, Lee]]
[[Category:Characters|Adama, Lee]]
[[Category:Characters (RDM)|Adama, Lee]]
[[Category:People from Caprica|Adama, Lee]]
[[Category:RDM|Adama, Lee]]

[[de:Lee Adama]]
[[fr:Lee Adama]]

Karl Agathon

2007-03-12T08:23:41Z

Jjlevin: /* References */

{{Character Data
|photo= Season 3 Helo.jpg
|age=
|colony=
|birthname= Karl C. Agathon
|callsign= Helo
|servicen= PK-789934
|seen= Miniseries
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children= [[Hera]] (Human-Cylon hybrid)
|marital status= Married to [[Sharon Agathon]]
|role= ([[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'') [[Raptor]] pilot / [[ECO]], formerly: Executive Officer
|rank= Captain
|actor= [[Tahmoh Penikett]]
|cylon=
}}

Captain '''Karl C. Agathon''' was the [[ECO]] aboard [[Raptor 478]], piloted by Lieutenant JG [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon "Boomer" Valerii]]. He is young, loyal, capable, resourceful, and attracted to Valerii. Those aboard ''Galactica'' seem to find his real name cumbersome or unwieldy. He's almost always addressed by his callsign, "Helo."

== Biography ==

At the time of the [[Cylon Attack]], Lieutenant Karl Agathon, serial number PK-789934, is on patrol in Valerii's Raptor flying with battlestar ''Galactica's'' last fully-operational [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] squadron, and witnesses the destruction of the squadron by [[Cylon]] [[Raider]]s, after the Raiders exploit the [[Command Navigation Program]] to disable the Vipers.

Following the attack, Agathon and Valerii attempt to return to ''Galactica'', avoiding Cylon patrols, but are unsuccessful: their Raptor is damaged in a Cylon missile strike, and Helo receives a wound in his leg from shrapnel that pierces their ship. As a result of the damage received, the Raptor is forced down on Caprica, where Valerii makes emergency repairs. Moments after Valerii's repairs, their ship is mobbed by civilians desperate to get off the planet.

With limited space for survivors aboard the Raptor, Agathon volunteers his seat to Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]] and remains on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] in the hope that Baltar will be of benefit to the Colonials in their renewed fight against the Cylons. Both Helo and Boomer feel that there is no chance that he will survive the Cylon nuclear attack on Caprica, but he selflessly chooses to stay behind anyway, giving up his own life so Baltar can get to ''[[Galactica]]''.

=== Marooned ===

After Boomer's departure, Helo apparently separates from the surviving refugees (who soon succumb to radiation poisoning<ref>The fate of these refugees is noted briefly by [[Laura Roslin]] ([[Mary McDonnell]]'s character acting as narrator) in the special program, "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far]]."</ref>) and flees from Cylon ground forces. After six days on Caprica, surviving on [[anti-radiation medication]] from his survival pack, he is captured after noticing a version of the Cylon known (secretly only to Gaius Baltar) as [[Number Six]].

Helo is "rescued" by [[Sharon Agathon|a copy of Sharon Valerii]], unaware that this is not the same one who abandoned him on Caprica. She guides him across Caprica as part of an elaborate (if potentially hastily conceived) plan / experiment designed to make this second Valerii the object of Agathon's affections. Several situations are engineered to make this happen:
[[Image:Valley_of_Darkness-Starbuck_Helo.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Helo and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] in her apartment in [[Delphi]], [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] in [[Valley of Darkness]].]]
*A "[[wikipedia:Honeypot (espionage)|honey trap]]" offering reasonably secure accommodations (a "fall-out shelter") together with sufficient supplies for two people beneath a restaurant ([[Act of Contrition]])
*Engineering Valerii's capture to test Helo's loyalty towards her ([[You Can't Go Home Again]] / [[Litmus]])
*Establishing a further (long-term) "honey trap" for Helo and Valerii in the wilderness of Caprica.

Agathon eventually admits that he has feelings for Valerii and that he would have gladly traded places with Chief Tyrol, who he knew was having an illict relationship with her. Following this, the two have sex in a forest on Caprica. Afterwards, Valerii is instructed by the Five and Six overseeing the experiment to lead her lover to a nearby cabin, and to kill him if he refuses to settle there. However, the Cylon plan goes awry because Valerii has apparently fallen in love with Agathon. She forces them both on the run once more, this time genuinely seeking to escape from Caprica via the military base at [[Delphi]], which is now under Cylon control.

During their attempts to reach Delphi, Agathon witnesses a troop of Cylon [[Centurion]]s being led by Number Six - the woman he thought had been killed when Valerii rescued him. This draws him to the conclusion that the Cylons are using human clones they have created ([[Colonial Day]]). Once at Delphi, Agathon receives another shock: not only are further versions of Six on-hand - he comes face-to-face with another Valerii copy, revealing the full truth about the woman known as "Boomer" to him. Believing he was lured into a trap, Agathon goes on the run, leaving Valerii at the base.

The Valerii copy that Helo has paired with later catches up with him, and while he shoots her in the arm, he does not kill her as she might be of use to him in escaping the planet. Caprica-Valerii then informs Helo that she is pregnant with his child, and that they should go to the [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies|Delphi Museum]]. There, Agathon is reunited with [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] (who just arrived from ''[[Galactica]]'' using a stolen [[Cylon Raider]]) immediately after she kills a copy of Number Six and retrieves the [[Arrow of Apollo]]. Thrace, realizing immediately that Valerii is a Cylon (knowing much earlier than Helo that Cylons can mimic human form) tries to kill Valerii, but Agathon stops her because she is pregnant ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]], [[Scattered]]).

Valerii runs away out of fear of Thrace, taking her Cylon Raider. Fearing that [[Number Six]] will finish transferring her consciousness to a new body and warn the Cylons about the humans' presence in Delphi, Agathon and Thrace make their way to Thrace's old apartment ([[Scattered]], [[Valley of Darkness]]). Later, Thrace and Agathon join up with the [[Caprica Resistance|human resistance]] on Caprica ([[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]).

=== The Resistance and escape from Caprica ===

Agathon, [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and others later rescue Thrace from the Cylons' "hospital". Valerii returns to aid Helo in locating the missing Thrace, and later saves the day by gunning down several Centurions in a stolen [[Heavy Raider]]. Helo, Thrace, and Valerii leave Caprica en route to [[The Fleet (RDM)| the Fleet]] ([[The Farm]]). The group lands on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'', which has broken off from the rest of the Fleet ([[Home, Part I]]). When [[Lee Adama]] grabs the new copy of Valerii and threatens to shoot her, Helo raises his gun to Lee's head in response. They are calmed by Roslin, who then orders Valerii thrown out of an airlock. Valerii convinces Roslin of her usefulness before this happens, and later accompanies Helo and others to Kobol to find the Tomb of Athena ([[Home, Part I]]). On the way to the Tomb of Athena, [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] remarks to Starbuck that he is disturbed that Helo and this Valerii copy love each other, and Helo admits to Valerii that he now loves and trusts her. When they finally reach the tomb, Commander Adama orders Helo to stay outside with Valerii and Tom Zarek while Chief Tyrol guards all of them. With the successful gathering of information on the whereabouts of Earth, Helo and the group return to ''Galactica'' and the reunified Fleet.

=== Home on ''Galactica'' ===

Helo's welcome-home to ''Galactica'', months after being declared MIA on Caprica ([[Home, Part II]]), isn't a generally warm one. Many in the crew find his romance with the Caprica Valerii disquieting or disgusting. A few crew warm up to Helo after his suggestion of using carbon composites on the new fighter, the [[Blackbird]], turns [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]'s pet project into a significant stealth technology ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).

Chief Tyrol is still nursing the loss of Boomer (the ''Galactica'' copy of Valerii that left Helo on Caprica and later shoots Commander Adama), and now must deal with the return of another Valerii, her "memories" of him, and the fact that Helo is romantically involved with her. The friction between Helo and Tyrol becomes too much and a fight ensues before both realize that fighting will gain them little. The two tacitly appear to accept the awkward situation for what it is.

Helo and Tyrol learn of the gang-rape of the captured [[Gina|Cylon]] on battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', and are shocked to learn that the "Cylon interrogator", Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]], would be "interrogating" the incarcerated Valerii that day. Prior to this discovery, Helo is prepared to fight the drunken ''Pegasus'' crewmembers over their disrespect, but Tyrol realizes what is coming for Valerii and convinces him to head to the brig to her aid. While apparently successful in stopping the assault, the two are arrested and taken to ''Pegasus'' when Thorne is accidentally killed. Admiral [[Helena Cain]] conducts summary courts-martial on the two ''Galactica'' crewmembers, finding them guilty and sentencing them to execution. When Commander Adama hears of this abrupt treatment, he launches a Raptor with [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marine]] units as well as his Viper squadrons to get Helo and Tyrol back. A standoff ensues, with not only Helo's and Tyrol's lives in the balance, but thousands of others in the Fleet ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).

===Aboard ''Pegasus''===

After Starbuck returns with images of the Resurrection Ship, Adama and Cain agree to a truce. Helo and Tyrol are given a stay of execution, but not a pardon. While they are imprisoned aboard ''Pegasus'', a pair of deck hands, irate about Thorne's death, assault them. [[Jack Fisk]], the XO of ''Pegasus'', puts a stop to this by citing regulations, but rebuffs Helo's thanks. Like the deck crew, Fisk had been saved from death by Thorne, and he is not sympathetic to Valerii, whom he views as a machine.

After the destruction of the [[Resurrection Ship]] and the death of Admiral Cain, Fisk becomes the Commander of ''Pegasus''. He returns Helo and Tyrol to ''Galactica'', where the former is joyfully received by Valerii.

=== The events of [[Epiphanies|Epiphanies]] ===

When the dying President Roslin orders the hybrid baby aborted, Helo attempts to dissuade Adama from carrying out the order in private conversation in the Admiral's office, but fails. When Valerii is being brought to the medical bay for the abortion, Helo blocks the door, his hand on his pistol. He offers to take Sharon aboard a [[Raptor]] and leave the Fleet, but is rebuffed by Adama, who tells him, "You're a soldier". Helo retorts that he is a father, like Adama.
Baltar defuses the potentially violent incident by arriving with his report on the medically useful nature of the hybrid fetus. There are no apparent consequences from his actions.

=== The hybrid birth ===

Helo is present when [[Hera]], the human-Cylon hybrid, is born. He and Valerii marvel at their baby, and Helo shocks Valerii when he says that it almost makes one believe in the Cylon [[God]]. When Valerii attacks Dr. [[Cottle]], accusing him of murder after he informs her of the baby's [[Maya|"death,"]] Helo tries to restrain her but ends up with marines pointing guns at him as Valerii is returned to her cell.

=== Caprica SAR & New Caprica ===

Despite Valerii's continued belief that Cottle and the other humans killed [[Hera]], Helo is able to convince her to assist Kara Thrace's plan for the rescue of Samuel Anders and his [[Caprica Resistance]] group ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]). Helo and the others manage to survive the Cylon assault after [[Cavil]] informs them that the Cylons have left the Colonies.
With the happenstance discovery of [[New Caprica]], the relationship between Helo and [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] becomes increasingly strained, due primarily to her growing depression over the loss of their child and the fact that Valerii did not inform the SAR team that Caprica-[[Cavil]] was a Humanoid Cylon.

During the year in orbit around New Caprica he and Sharon Valerii become married. Agathon is acting as a replacement to [[Felix Gaeta]] as ''Galactica'''s tactical officer ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]) . He has been promoted to Captain, and has assumed the XO slot aboard ''Galactica''.

== The Second Exodus ==

While he temporarily relinquishes the XO slot after the Battle of New Caprica and Tigh's return to ''Galactica'', Tigh's actions and attitude cause him to be relieved of duty ([[Collaborators]]). Helo finds himself once again acting as Adama's right-hand man ([[Torn]]). During this time, Helo is shown to have been promoted to Captain (although the exact date of his promotion is still unknown).

When faced with using the recently discovered Cylon virus as an agent for genocide, Helo undermines the mission, which he feels is an atrocious and evil action, by sabotaging the Cylon prisoner's prison cells so they all suffocate before they can be downloaded into a Resurrection Ship, and therefore downloading the virus. Roslin and Adama both know the probable culprit, but Adama, who felt the President was on morally shaky grounds using genocide as a military solution, decides not to take any action against Helo ([[A Measure of Salvation]]).

Helo participates in the organized shipwide fights intended to boost morale. He fights a hard match against Major [[Lee Adama]]. ([[Unfinished Business]])

He has since returned to flight duty and pilots a Raptor during operations to replenish the fleet's food stores. ([[The Passage]]) It is during their time at the [[Algae planet]] that a Cylon negotiation party aboard ''Galactica'' reveals to his wife that [[Hera]] is still alive. Though [[Athena]] initially denies the taunt, she and Helo soon find out from [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] that it is true, much to their dismay ([[The Eye of Jupiter]]). Athena believes the only way to get her daughter back is to be resurrected inside the Cylon fleet, and begs Helo to kill her. Being unable to dissuade her, Helo grants her wish. Athena resurrects and successfully retrieves Hera, aided by [[Caprica-Six]] ([[Rapture]]). He is present during the post-incident briefing regarding the Temple of Five, implying that he may hold additional duties besides flight ops.

This is confirmed when Helo is assigned by [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] to take charge of the hundreds of civilians which have been transfered to ''Galactica'''s starboard hangar pod. This includes a large number of [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Saggitaron|Sagittarons]], many of whom display the first symptoms of [[Mellorak infection]]. In a meeting with [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]], [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]], [[Cottle|Doctor Cottle]] and [[Michael Robert|Doctor Robert]] (the civilian physician who has taken up the care of those living in [[Camp Oil Slick|"Dogsville"]]), Helo learns the disease is fatal if not treated within the first 48 hours. Shortly thereafter, [[King|Mrs. King]] comes to Helo and accuses Dr. Robert of murder after the death of her son due to the Doctor's anti-Sagittaron bigotry. Helo begins an investigation, made difficult by several factors. Not only is Dr. Robert held in high regard by Helo's superiors, but the claims of the Sagittarons are dismissed due to a negative view of the religious fundamentalism and ancient traditions practiced by most Sagittarons. Helo's personal conflict with [[Saul Tigh|Col. Tigh]] over his marriage to [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon]] is exasperated by the Colonel's prejudices to a point where Helo hits Tigh in a crowded corridor. Though the Colonel does not press charges, he makes it clear Helo is no longer in good standing within the fleet. This becomes the subject of a heated discussion between Helo and [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon]]. It is suggested Helo's assignment to [[Camp Oil Slick|"Dogsville"]] is punishment not only for his marriage to her, but also due to Helo being the prime suspect in the [[A Measure of Salvation|failed biological attack]] against the Cylons. Helo persists in his investigation, however, despite this opposition. When Helo is warned by [[King]] in the middle of the night about a seriously ill [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] (also a Sagittaron) under Robert's care. Helo immediately goes to Dualla's aide and finds himself in a stand-off with Dr. Robert. Just as Robert orders Marines to arrest Helo, Colonel Tigh and Dr. Cottle arrive with another detachment of Marines. Dr. Cottle reports that toxicology tests done on the deceased Sagittarons revealed no antidote but rather toxic bisphosphnate. Helo is ordered by Tigh to arrest Robert and a short time later, [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] personally apologizes to Helo for not believing his initial claims about Robert and the opposition he encountered in his investigation ([[The Woman King]]). During his private meeting with Adama, Helo confesses his role in the failed biological attack on the Cylons ([[The Woman King]] bonus scene}.

Helo eventually returns to flight status and is likely the second highest ranking pilot after the deaths of [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]. This is confirmed two weeks after Starbuck's death as Helo takes over CAG duties for [[Lee Adama]] who is grounded by [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] and assigned to oversee the security detail for Baltar's defense attorney, [[Romo Lampkin]] {[[The Son Also Rises]]}.

== Notes ==

=== Name ===

The Re-imagined ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' plays heavily on Greek mythology and history; the use of names such as [[Delphi]] and those of the [[Wikipedia:Twelve Olympians|Olympian gods]] is an example. Helo's names have many possible referrents:
*[[Wikipedia:Agathon|Agathon]] was an ancient Greek tragic poet.
*''[[Wikipedia:Agathodaemon|Agathos Daemon]]'' was of one of the spirits that lie between the gods and mortals in Greek mythology. He is associated with the cultivation of grapes and grain as well as luck and abundance.
*The prefix "Agatho-" means 'good' in Greek.
*[[Wikipedia:Helios|Helios]] was the Greek god of the Sun associated most prominently with the myth of [[Wikipedia:Phaëton|Phaëton]].
*"Helo" is slang for [[Wikipedia:Helicopter|helicopter]], and the [[Raptor]] craft Helo crews is visually based on an [[Wikipedia:AH-64 Apache|Apache helicopter]]. This fits with the callsign of his former co-pilot, "[[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]]", which is slang for a ballistic missile submarine.

=== Character ===

*In an [http://scifibrain.ign.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2965&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=1 interview], actor Tahmoh Penikett discussed the (unofficial) backstory he had worked out with [[Katee Sackhoff]] to explain her comment in "[[Scattered]]" that they "go way back":
:"We are old friends and we have been through a lot together. I have been asked this question before, but I think it is pretty safe to bet that we were either in the academy together or we have known each other for years. Whether there has ever been a romantic relationship, that is definitely a possibility--especially with Starbuck...It could have been a one night stand, but there is in fact a relationship. We are more like brother and sister, and have been through a lot together. Helo really understands Starbuck and she understands him. They are a lot closer than most people think."
*Helo's full name (or even his fate) wasn't revealed until "[[33]]". He was initially intended as an expendable character; originally, he was supposed to have actually died when the Raptor left him behind on Caprica. Penikett's performance convinced [[Wikipedia:The powers that be|TPTB]] otherwise. Curiously, Helo's [[Crashdown|second]] replacement on Boomer's Raptor, [[Margaret Edmondson|Racetrack]], was also intended as a one-shot character, but was retained by TPTB for similar reasons.
*While he is shown in a [[Raptor]] during the funeral of his [[Hera|daughter]] in [[Downloaded]], "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]" it is the first time he has done his job as [[ECO]] on screen since the [[Miniseries]].

== References ==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=[[Saul Tigh]]|title=Executive Officer of the [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)| Galactica]]'' |after=[[Saul Tigh]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Lee Adama]]|title=[[Commander Air Group|Commander, Air Group]], ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''|after=Incumbent}}
{{end box}}

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Agathon, Karl]]
[[Category:Characters|Agathon, Karl]]
[[Category:Characters (RDM)|Agathon, Karl]]
[[Category:RDM|Agathon, Karl]]

[[de:Karl Agathon]]

Resurrection Ship, Part I

2007-02-25T04:45:36Z

Jjlevin: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data
| image = Resurrection Ship attack plans.jpg
| title=Resurrection Ship, Part I
| series=
| season=2
| episode=11
| guests=[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]]
| writer=[[Michael Rymer]]
| story=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]]
| director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| production=211
| rating= 2.1
| US airdate=2006-01-06
| UK airdate=2006-03-21
| dvd= {{Season 2.5 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 2 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population=49,604
| extra= '''Season 2.5 Premiere'''
| prev=[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]
| next=[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]
| podcast=Y
| goof= Y
}}

== Overview ==

:''A potential battle between ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' is only averted by [[Kara Thrace|Lt. Thrace]]'s return from her recon mission with important tactical information on the unknown [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] ship.''

== Summary ==

*Continuing from the [[Pegasus (episode)|previous episode]], a swarm of [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] from ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' move into weapons range of each other after [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] challenges [[Helena Cain|Admiral Cain]] over the imminent execution of two of his crewmen. Neither commanders are willing to order "weapons free" to fire. The Vipers are reduced to playing "chicken", attempting to force each other to fire — or collide.
*Cain orders Captain [[Cole Taylor]] to arrest and relieve [[Lee Adama|Lieutenant Lee "Apollo" Adama]], who is co-piloting a Raptor about to leave on the recon mission. The Raptor pilot draws his sidearm on Lt. Adama and orders him into the rear of the Raptor.
*Flying the [[Blackbird]], which goes undetected by the Cylon fleet, [[Kara Thrace]] flies right into the superstructure of the [[Unknown Cylon Ship]], taking pictures along the way. Before the Cylons can detect her, she jumps away.
*Confined to the rear of the Raptor, Lt. Adama sends an encrypted text message to Thrace.
*Leading ''Galactica's'' Viper squadron, [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]] continually requests clearance from Commander Adama to fire on ''Pegasus''' Vipers, but he refuses.
*Thrace arrives in the [[Blackbird]]. After getting over her initial confusion at the chicken-fight, she receives Lt. Adama's message and replies back, wondering what was going on (the Viper intanglement).
*Both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' pick up the Blackbird on [[DRADIS]], but its lack of [[IFF|transponder]] codes leads Cain and Adama to assume that the new contact is a Raider. All Vipers break off their chicken-fight and move to engage the enemy, only standing down when Thrace broadcasts her ID over [[wireless]].
*When Cain looks likely to resume the conflict with Adama, Thrace uploads her incredibly detailed pictures of the Unknown Cylon Ship to ''Pegasus''' CIC. A closeup shows Cylon bodies, including several inactive copies of [[Number Six|the blonde Humanoid Cylon]] known to the Colonials as "[[Shelly Godfrey]]" and "[[Gina]]."
*Aboard ''[[Colonial One]]'', after being grilled by President [[Laura Roslin]] for their near-disastrous actions, Adama and Cain agree to a truce while they prepare a joint attack on the Cylon fleet.
*Privately, Roslin warns Adama that Cain is a loose cannon, who must be killed in order to save the Fleet from annihilation. Adama is surprised at Roslin's candor, and is reluctant to consider the idea.
*Adama learns that ''Pegasus'' was also shepherding a civilian fleet, which it abandoned months ago, but not before stripping it of anything useful, including FTL drives, spare parts, and people. Cain ordered the execution of the families of individuals she selected who would not leave with ''Pegasus.''
*[[Gaius Baltar]] speaks more with [[Gina]], who wants Baltar to kill her so she can free herself from her torturous existence. He tells her that she cannot die as her consciousness would only download into another [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon body]]. Seeing the copies of reconnaissance photos Baltar is carrying, Gina says she would die if his Fleet destroys the Unknown ship, which she names.
*Baltar briefs Adama and Cain: The function of the [[Resurrection Ship]], as Gina called it, is to allow Humanoid Cylons a place where their consciousness can download, as an agent in the Fleet would be too far from the Cylon homeworld for their consciousness to return. Cain quickly surmises that, without the Resurrection Ship, the few agents remaining would be permanently gone, and perhaps more reluctant to complete their respective missions.
*Laura Roslin's illness is now more visibly apparent. William Adama visits her, and the two have a most unusual, even sentimental talk, with humor about getting a fresh, young Cylon body replacement for Roslin. Adama smiles and says that he couldn't think of her as a blonde, but Roslin smiles and says he'd be surprised.
*Cain finds Thrace's initiative laudable, and promotes her to Captain and [[CAG]] ''Pegasus'' over [[Cole Taylor]]. She initially pulls [[Lee Adama]]'s flight status, but restores it at Thrace's behest and assigns him to her team. Thrace begins plans on an attack on the Resurrection Ship.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] are pleasantly surprised not to be dead. Lee Adama visits the two and catches them up on events, noting that his father pulled out the stops to ensure Helo's and Tyrol's survival.
*[[Kara_Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Lee_Adama|Apollo]] brief the battlestar commanders and XO's regarding the plan to disable and destroy the [[Resurrection Ship]]. The plan will involve both battlestars and all available fighters. Both [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] and [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] approve of the plan, Adama being the more hesitant of the two.
*Colonel Tigh asks if the [[Blackbird]] could be used to sneak up behind the Resurrection Ship with a nuclear missile to destroy the Resurrection Ship outright. Thrace indicates that computer simulations show that the Cylons would pick up the [[Radiological Alarm|radiological signature]] of the bomb (which cannot be hidden by the Blackbird's stealth ability). Such detection would destroy their element of surprise and likely warn the Resurrection Ship to jump away.
*After the briefing, Adama consults with Thrace privately, asking her to shoot Cain in the head after the attack. Likewise, Cain transfers [[Jack Fisk]] and a squad of Marines loyal to her to ''Galactica'' and instructs Fisk to kill Adama ''and'' his command staff after the attack.

== Questions ==
* Why do both the Galactica and the Pegasus detect the Blackbird, despite the inability of the Cylons (and the Galactica, in an earlier episode) to pierce its stealth capabilities?
* Why don't Cain and her crew grasp the concept that survival of the human race supersedes the military way of life? Although Adama himself had the same attitude in the [[Miniseries]] until Roslin talked to him.
*What was the fate of the other civilians in ''Pegasus'''s civilian fleet, the ones who weren't brought to '' Pegasus'' as useful assets or executed after the civilian ships were stripped?
* If Dr. [[Cottle]] were to perform a psychological examination on Cain, could Adama strip her of command for medical reasons? Would Cain or her crew even accept such a move?
*Why does Commander Adama rely on gossip from Cally and Tigh, rather than debriefing [[Peter Laird|Laird]] personally?
*When did the Resurrection Ship begin following the Fleet? Was it able to rescue [[Aaron Doral#Suicide Bomber Copy|Aaron Doral (Suicide Bomber Copy)]] (killed day 17), [[Shelly Godfrey]] (disappeared day 24), [[Leoben Conoy#Gemenon Traveler Copy|Leoben Conoy (Gemenon Traveler Copy)]] (killed day 25), or [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)]] (killed c. day 54)? ([[Downloaded|Answer]] regarding Boomer))
* [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] got some close shots of the [[Resurrection Ship]], so much so that [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] was able to ID the [[Cylon agent]] she knew as [[Gina]]. Could any of the other [[Humanoid Cylon]] models be identified, including the ones that the Fleet aren't aware of yet?
*Since Lee Adama is ultimately included in the mission to assassinate Cain anyway, why didn't his father deign to brief him at the same time as Kara Thrace? Having Thrace fill him in later doubles the chance of their plans being overheard.
*Baltar says that he's tired of the fantasy-world in his head that he retreats into; not of Number Six herself, but of his bachelor pad on Caprica. Is this a further sign that Baltar is shifting closer into the Cylon camp? It could mean that he no longer misses his old life on Caprica and has stopped clinging to it.
*To what extent is the chain of command still in effect? Adama fully intends to have Cain killed, but still stops short of demanding Agathon and Tyrol's return, and Cain believes he will still accept Fisk's transfer to ''Galactica'' as a spy.
*Is Admiral Cain telling the truth when she says to Starbuck that their "ultimate goal" is to return to the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] and liberate them from the Cylons? While the idea fits to her previous actions against the Cylons, it could be just a way to gain Thrace's trust.
*Where did they get a little tactical model of the [[Resurrection Ship]] to be used in the mission planning session? For that matter, where do any of these models come from?

== Analysis ==
*Cain wonders if debating morality is what Roslin and Adama have been doing "for the past six months"; however, as explained in the article [[Timeline (RDM)]], this episode only takes place a little over ''three'' months after the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. This is actually the starting point of what ''BattlestarWiki'' refers to as the [[Season two timeline discontinuity]]: all episodes in Season 2.5 have jumped ahead three months in the timeline: while consistent with each other (i.e. "[[Downloaded]]" is supposed to be 9 months after the Cylon attack, and it does take place 3 months after the Cain Trilogy).
*Pilot [[Louanne Katraine]] has apparently recovered from her [[stims]] burnout in "[[Final Cut]]", and has become the lead pilot on ''Galactica'' following the transfer of Lee Adama and Kara Thrace to ''Pegasus''. Given that the ungifted [[George Birch]] was apparently the best to be found within ''Galactica's'' regular chain of command ([[Home, Part I]]), it's unsurprising that a talented nugget has risen to the top.
**In hindsight, her abuse of stims is actually in line with the single-minded zeal she approaches her job with. She has apparently learned to channel her perfectionism into a more constructive outlet.
**In choosing Birch Commander Adama decided to value loyalty way above everything else, Col. Tigh was quite suprised at that. With Adama rebalancing his requirements it's no suprise a better pilot got the position.

*Both Adama and Cain's assassination plans (taking advantage of a victory celebration in [[CIC]]) are exactly the same as the one used by "Boomer" Valerii in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]."

== Notes ==

*Fleet population is down to 49,604 to account for the death of [[Alastair Thorne]], Cylon Interrogator.
* Admiral Cain promotes Kara Thrace to the rank of captain. She replaces Stinger as ''Pegasus's'' CAG.
* The Cylon fleet containing the [[Resurrection Ship]] has been following [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]]. It was speculated that the Resurrection Ship was a safety net for any Cylons who died in the Fleet.
*In case there was any doubt, by this point the ''Galactica'' crew definitely knows that the blonde woman they first met as "Shelley Godfrey" is a humanoid Cylon, to the point that Roslin cracks a joke that she wouldn't mind waking up inside a gorgeous ''blonde''-haired body.
*Number Six likes [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]]. She went to live games often while she was on Caprica. She said it was because she loved the rush of raw emotions that would sweep over the crowd.
*Thrace still intends to recover Anders' [[Caprica Resistance]] fighters from Caprica. Timeline wise, they have a little over a month of [[Anti-radiation medication|anti-radiation meds]] left ([[Downloaded|apparently, they're able to get more as time passes]]).
*Tigh and Fisk have continued their status as drinking buddies.
*Roslin has developed a bad cough, perhaps evidence that her cancer has spread to her lungs, or that she has begun to suffer from opportunistic infections.
*Although Commander Adama does a good job of trying to "hide" it, when Adama leaves the sick Roslin he quickly wipes away a tear.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*{{audio|RS1 - we're all friendlies.mp3|''Upon returning from the recon mission.''}}
:'''Starbuck''': Starbuck to all vipers-- do not fire... repeat, do not fire! I am a friendly, okay? We're all friendlies. So, let's just...be friendly.

*{{audio|RS1 - crazy ass stunt.mp3|''In Galactica's CIC.''}}
:'''Col. Tigh''': Ahh, another one of [[Kara Thrace|her]] crazy ass stunts... thank the Gods!
:'''Commander Adama''': You can say that again!

*{{audio|RS1 - post conflict meeting on Colonial One.mp3|''During the meeting on Colonial One''}}
:'''President Roslin''': The spirit of the law requires something more here than summary executions.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Is this what the two of you have been doing for the past six months? Debating the finer points of Colonial law? Well, guess what, we're at war! And we don't have the luxury of academic debate over these issues.
:'''President Roslin''': You have ''Pegasus'', he has ''Galactica''. Two heavily armed, very powerful warships. Now, I am sure that ''Pegasus'' would prevail in any fight--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I wouldn't count on that--
:'''President Roslin''': --But certainly, there'd be heavy damage and you'd take significant casualties. So you can go out there and fight it out with ''Galactica'' or you can compromise. And those are the only two options on the table, period.
:'''Admiral Cain''': ...How the two of you have survived this long, I will never know.....

*{{audio|RS1 - not an assasssin.mp3|''Discussing Admiral Cain.''}}
:'''President Roslin''': I afraid this can only end one way. You've got to kill her.
:'''Commander Adama''': What the hell are you talking about?
:'''President Roslin''': Like she said, let's cut through it. The two of you were willing to go to war today. Do you think she's going to step down from that? She's going to bide her time and hit you the first chance she gets. That's a given. I hate to lay this on you Bill, but she is dangerous and the only thing that you can do is to hit her before she hits you.
:'''Commander Adama''': I'm not an assassin.

*{{audio|RS1 - Gina finally speaks.mp3|''First thing Gina speaks.''}}
:'''Gina''': I want to die. Will you help me do that? Will you kill me, please?

*{{audio|RS1 - Gina reiterates death wish.mp3|''After giving Gina new clothes.''}}
:'''Baltar''': Were you aware of your true nature as a Cylon when you boarded the ship? Or would you describe you as a sleeper agent?
:'''Gina''': I knew what I was. I was a soldier. I-I had a mission, I carried it out. I thought that when it was done I was going to die. That you would kill me. Then I-- then I would download into a new body...be reborn. But you didn't kill me. The things you did to me.
:'''Baltar''': What they did to you was evil. But I'm not one of them. You have to believe me. Things are going to get better for you. From this moment on. I promise.
:'''Gina''': I don't want things to get better. I want to die.

*{{audio|RS1 - can't see you as a blonde.mp3|''President Roslin is bedridden, dying of cancer, and coughing profusely.''}}
:'''Commander Adama''': What can I get you?
:'''President Roslin''': A new body. Perhaps, one of those young Cylon models from the Resurrection Ship.
:'''Commander Adama''': I can't see you as a blonde.
:'''President Roslin''': You'd be surprised. (Laughs)

*{{audio|RS1 - assassination plots.mp3|''Scene intercuts between Commander Adama telling Starbuck to assassinate Admiral Cain, while at the same time Cain is ordering Col. Jack Fisk to assassinate Adama.''}}
:'''Admiral Cain''': Jack, I want to transfer a detachment of marines to Galactica. And I want you to handpick them. Completely reliable. Completely loyal. Razors.
:'''Commander Adama''': I have a mission for you, Kara.
:'''Starbuck''': Anything for you, you know that.
:'''Commander Adama''': Don't accept too quickly. You won't like this one. I don't like it. But I've decided that it has to be done.
:'''Admiral Cain''': I'm transferring you to Galactica, as well. I'll tell Adama that you're there to be my eyes and ears. He'll hate it. He'll think you're my spy and try to freeze you out of decision-making. But he'll accept it. Now I want you to stay in throughout the attack. Stay with Adama.
:'''Commander Adama''': After the attack is completed and you've accounted for your pilots I want you to land your bird on the Pegasus to report directly to CIC. You'll take Lee with you. He'll watch your back.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Position marines in key positions throughout the ship and keep a squad posted just outside CIC--
:'''Commander Adama''': --There'll the normal chaos emotional high after the attack--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --They'll be slapping each other on the back, celebrating the victory--
:'''Commander Adama''': --They'll keep their guard down--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --Security will be lax--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I will ask for you over the wireless--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --I will call you directly, and when I have you on the line and you hear me give the command, "Execute case orange"--
:'''Commander Adama''': --When you hear me say "Downfall"--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --You are to signal the marines to terminate Adama's command...''starting'' with Adama--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I want you to pull out your weapon...and shoot Admiral Cain in the head. (Starbuck is shocked)

== Official Statements ==

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
*[[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
*[[Sebastian Spence]] as Lt. [[Noel Allison|Noel "Narcho" Allison]]
*[[John Pyper-Ferguson]] as Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]
*[[Vincent Gale]] as Chief [[Peter Laird]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally Henderson Tyrol|Cally Henderson]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:Episodes with story by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]