Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

William Adama

2006-10-15T01:27:09Z

SaxicolousOne: /* Background */

:''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 in 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 that 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."

*A couple of months after ''Galactica'', ''Pegasus'' and the rest of the New Caprica Defense Fleet jump away, Adama is trying to make a rescue plan on New Caprica but hurls a Raptor model across the room in frustration ([[Occupation]]).

*Admiral Adama mends fences with [[Sharon Agathon]] over the months in orbit of New Caprica. He reinstates her as a flight officer shortly after making contact with the [[New Caprica Resistance]] ([[Precipice]]).

*After this, Adama orders his son Lee to take over as guardian of the Fleet; Lee's orders are to continue the search for Earth, as Adama is going back to retrieve those left behind — which Lee considers a suicide mission ([[Precipice]], [[Exodus, Part I]]).

==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).

{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=Unknown, eventually [[Nash]]|title=''Commanding Officer of the Battlestar ''[[Galactica|Galactica]]''|after=Incumbent}}
{{end box}}

{{Characters}}

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

[[de:William Adama]]
[[es:William Adama]]
[[zh:威廉·阿达玛]]

{{featured article}}

William Adama

2006-10-15T01:23:49Z

SaxicolousOne: /* Background */

:''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 in 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."

*A couple of months after ''Galactica'', ''Pegasus'' and the rest of the New Caprica Defense Fleet jump away, Adama is trying to make a rescue plan on New Caprica but hurls a Raptor model across the room in frustration ([[Occupation]]).

*Admiral Adama mends fences with [[Sharon Agathon]] over the months in orbit of New Caprica. He reinstates her as a flight officer shortly after making contact with the [[New Caprica Resistance]] ([[Precipice]]).

*After this, Adama orders his son Lee to take over as guardian of the Fleet; Lee's orders are to continue the search for Earth, as Adama is going back to retrieve those left behind — which Lee considers a suicide mission ([[Precipice]], [[Exodus, Part I]]).

==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).

{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=Unknown, eventually [[Nash]]|title=''Commanding Officer of the Battlestar ''[[Galactica|Galactica]]''|after=Incumbent}}
{{end box}}

{{Characters}}

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

[[de:William Adama]]
[[es:William Adama]]
[[zh:威廉·阿达玛]]

{{featured article}}

Laura Roslin

2006-10-15T01:09:22Z

SaxicolousOne: /* Background */

{{Character Data
|photo= Roslin3.PNG
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] (presumed)
|birthname= Laura Roslin
|callsign=
|seen= Miniseries
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=Unmarried, had an extramarital affair with President Adar (deceased)
|role= Teacher on [[New Caprica]], former interim President, [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|The Twelve Colonies of Kobol]] (serving remainder of [[Richard Adar|Richard Adar's]] term), Former Secretary of Education (Under President [[Richard Adar]] Cabinet)
|rank=
|actor= [[Mary McDonnell]]
}}

'''Laura Roslin''' is an unmarried<ref name="marital">According to the February issue of ''Sci Fi Magazine'', actress Mary McDonnell indicates that, according to the [[series bible]], Roslin has dated, but has never married. (Scans available on [http://www.livejournal.com/users/reedfem/158883.html Ramblings of a dorkish nature])</ref> woman with some 20 years of political experience. She serves as Secretary of Education for the Colonial [[Government]] at the time of the Cylon attack.
<br/><br/>

== Background ==
*Roslin, a former teacher, worked with [[Richard Adar]] when he was a mayor. Over the years, she herself has risen in political rank to the office of Secretary of Education.
*Adar, a married man, and Roslin are in a sexual affair<ref name="marital2>According to a December 2005 [http://www.galacticastation.com/Galactica%20Station/Archives/dec05.html interview] with Mary McDonnell in TV Guide, President Adar, a married man, was having an affair with Roslin in the twilight of his term.</ref> during the events of a teachers strike that she is trying to mediate, to Adar's objection.
*Roslin learns that she, as did her mother, has breast cancer. Unfortunately, the diagnosis is grim, as the cancer has already spread.
*Roslin sat in the Government Plaza after her doctor's appointment, where she saw [[Gaius Baltar]], the famous scientist, walking and kissing an attractive blonde, but pays it little attention.
*Roslin successfully resolves the teachers strike crisis, but Adar vehemently disagrees with her method, and asks for her resignation. She asks him to defer the matter until she returns from the decommissioning ceremonies on battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''.
*Despite being thrust into the role of President in highly unusual and stressful circumstances, Laura Roslin initially proves herself both tough and capable within the role. Initially in awe of Commander Adama, and worrying that he didn't hold her in high regard ([[Water]]), she quickly overcomes her doubts and fears to be able to make the required decisions at the right time, and also stand up to Adama himself ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]). She is always prepared to put the safety and destiny of the Fleet first, no matter what the cost of her actions ("[[Flesh and Bone]]," "[[Home, Part I]]," "[[Home, Part II]]," "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]") while remembering her limitations and fears.

==Character History at a Glance==

*Roslin is aboard the Colonial government cruiser ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'', having just attended the decommissioning ceremonies for the [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', when the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|information on the Cylon attack]] leaks through [[wireless]].
*Roslin attempts to serve as the government's representative to aid the ship's pilot in gaining more information. She manages to speak with [[Jack|one fellow official]] over wireless and hears the devastating news.
*The [[Case Orange]] automated beacon response assigns Roslin the role of President after Adar and other high-level government officials are dead or incapacitated.
*In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Roslin undertakes a rescue mission, using the now-renamed ''[[Colonial One]]'' to round-up all vessels that escape destruction and gathers as many survivors as possible together, hoping to save the remnants of humanity from total annihilation.
*Roslin successfully persuades ''Galactica'' commander [[William Adama]] away from his original intention of mounting a counter-attack against the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]], and towards helping the new civilan fleet make its escape from occupied Colonial space.
*Since the exodus, Roslin establishes a fledgling civilian [[government]] within the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], agrees to abide by civil law regarding her interim term of office, and reestabishes a new [[Quorum of Twelve]].
*Roslin has an uneasy understanding with Commander [[William Adama|Adama]]. Where she is responsible for all civil leadership issues among the surviving Colonials, Adama is responsible for all military decisions ([[Miniseries]]). However, the dividing line is not always clear between the two leaders.
*Roslin chooses [[Chamalla]] extract as an alternative to [[diloxin]], remembering her mother's malaise with that treatment.
* Her illness remains a secret until she relates her Chamalla-induced visions of [[Kobol]] to priestess [[Elosha]], who recognizes them as those prophesized by [[Pythia]], where a dying leader will find the path to [[Earth]]. After research, she determines that she may be able to substantiate Commander Adama's fictitious knowledge of the location of Earth with a true bearing to the world using ancient Colonial history.
*Roslin convinces [[Kara Thrace|Lt. Thrace]] to use the captured Cylon Raider to return to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] in search of the [[Arrow of Apollo]].
*Infuriated with Roslin's countermanding and with her refusal to resign as President, Commander Adama terminates her Presidency and stages a military coup. Despite the intervention of [[Lee Adama]], Roslin is arrested and incarcerated aboard ''[[Galactica]]'' ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]). With Vice President Baltar missing on the surface of Kobol, this effectively leaves the Fleet without any form of civil leadership, a situation worsened by an assassination attempt on William Adama himself immediately following Roslin's arrest ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]).
*From her cell, Roslin eventually tells the Quorum of Twelve, many of who are [[Gemenon]], of her role in the [[Sacred Scrolls]], and begins to gain significant underground civilian support for her cause.
*Roslin escapes ''Galactica'' and, with the help of rival [[Tom Zarek]], convinces over a third of the fleet to [[Laura Roslin faction|join her in the search for the Tomb]]. Roslin's ability to lead and command becomes stronger throughout this time, able to keep Zarek's ambitions at bay and deliver decisions faster than before.
*With the recovered Arrow, Roslin heads an hazardous expedition on Kobol to find the Tomb, with the aid of a second copy of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] and priestess Elosha.
*The recovered Commander Adama gains refreshed insight on the need for the Fleet to stay united, and leaves to find Roslin's expedition on the surface of Kobol ([[Home, Part II]]).
*During the Kobol expedition, [[Elosha]] is killed. Roslin takes Elosha's blood-spattered copy of the Sacred Scrolls to guide her and to remember her friend.
*Commander Adama greets Roslin warmly on his arrival at her camp on Kobol. The two leaders have a heart-to-heart talk about her rebellion, which Adama forgives. Roslin thanks Adama, calling him "Bill" casually, though she notes that she didn't require permission for what she had to do. Roslin worries that, with talk of the [[Caprica Resistance]], that her insistence to Adama to leave the Colonial worlds behind was a mistake. Adama, also calling Roslin by her first name, firmly chastizes her, reminding Roslin that her decision was correct. If he had chosen to stay, Adama, his son, and all of humanity would be dead.
*Adama and Roslin's party later find the Tomb. With some teamwork, they discover and activate the Tomb's virtual hologram mechanism. Roslin's gamble on faith pays off big for humanity, and the group gains a map and guide to the true location of Earth.
*Back on ''Galactica'', Commander Adama introduces Roslin as President during a speech on the ship, and leads the audience in a rousing ovation on her return, publicly burying the hatchet between them.
*Adama and Roslin's respect for each other grew stronger and their leadership in managing fleet business became more cooperative, asking each other for advice and correcting each other as needed. They work together in getting reporter [[D'anna Biers]] corralled from her potentially disruptive tabloid expose' of the ''[[Gideon]]'' shootings by giving her almost-unlimited access to interview ''Galactica's'' crew. She creates a rousing documentary that meets her and Adama's approval ([[Final Cut]]).
*The military crew honors Roslin by christening a [[Blackbird|new experimental stealth fighter]] by the name, ''Laura'', a gesture that brings tears to the President.
*Despite the pleasure of the arrival of battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', Roslin becomes concerned about Cain's abrupt command style and refusal to supply the civilian fleet.
*After a near-disasterous military confrontation between the two battlestar commanders, Roslin chastises them both and tells them to concentrate on [[Resurrection Ship|more important matters]]. Privately, Roslin tells Adama that Cain, whose power can radically affect the remnant of humanity both Roslin and Adama have strived so hard to protect, must be killed if Adama and the Fleet are to survive.
[[Image:Roslinadama.jpg|Roslin and Adama.|thumb]]
*After the battle, and Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain's death]], Roslin, now more frail with her illness, promotes William Adama to Admiral. The new admiral gives the president a kiss.
*Roslin is miraculously saved by the injection of stem cells<ref>In the commentary track for "Epiphanies," Ron Moore states that a longer explanation of Roslin's cure was filmed that explained that the blood's stem cells cure Roslin. However, the scene was cut because he was afraid it would be too complicated and thought of as [[technobabble]]. The character's updated biography on the official Scifi.com site does confirm that stem cells from the hybrid were the actual cure. As such, Battlestar Wiki treats this data canonically as with information found in most deleted scenes.</ref> from the Cylon [[Hera|hybrid fetus]], which apparently eradicate her cancer ([[Epiphanies]]). In the hours prior to the cure, however, Roslin remembers her last days on Caprica, including the attractive blonde with Dr. Baltar, her vice-president. She now recognizes the woman as a copy of a [[Number Six|Cylon agent]].
*Roslin confronts Baltar on his association and later confesses the memory to William Adama ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).
*Roslin dives into work with a dispassionate manner not unlike her predecessor, Richard Adar, including an attempt to stop the [[Black market (organization)|black market]] , handling the terrible loss of [[Billy Keikeya]], and the upcoming presidential election.
*Roslin's new aide, [[Tory Foster]], is an energetic young woman with a great deal of political drive.
*Complicating what may have been an easy re-election include Roslin's decision to enforce a no-abortion law to aid in repopulation while allowing a Gemenese girl [[Rya Kibby]] to have an abortion, angering Gemenon representative [[Sarah Porter]] and losing most support from Roslin's religious base.
*Expecting [[Tom Zarek]] to run for president, Roslin is shocked when her own vice president, Dr. Baltar, challenges Roslin for the presidency.
*Convinced that that the only way to keep the newborn Cylon-hybrid, [[Hera]], alive but out of the eye of Cylon agents, Roslin has the infant's death faked and hands the child over to a foster mother named [[Maya]] ([[Downloaded]]).
*Roslin easily leads Baltar in the election polls, but with the discovery of a habitable planet dubbed "[[New Caprica]]", Baltar finds the perfect wedge issue to use against Roslin. Despite the extreme difficulties of colonization, the people of the Fleet vote their extreme hopes over their rational fears and Roslin's voice of reason.
*Roslin gives Foster tacit approval to rig the election in order to save the Fleet from electing someone that she knows (in her heart) is a Cylon conspirator. But the fraud is discovered. Admiral Adama confers with Roslin and convinces her that rigging a democratic election was a line that they simply cannot cross. He indicates that the people have made the wrong decision to elect Baltar president, probably even a disastrous choice, but it was their choice.
*Roslin agrees to back down, and Adama announces a mistake in the vote count. A perturbed Baltar doesn't press further, content with having won the election, and orders colonization of New Caprica immediately after his swearing-in.

==Currently...==
[[Image:2BATgyC05.jpg|Roslin as a teacher on New Caprica.|thumb]]

A year passes on New Caprica, and Baltar's administration becomes the unmitigated, incompetent disaster that Roslin had feared. Meanwhile, Roslin returns to her old love of teaching, running the new settlement's school. Assisted by [[Maya]], who brings her infant daughter [[Hera|Isis]] (the secreted Cylon hybrid), Roslin is more comfortable watching over the pair personally.

Three-hundred-eighty days after settling on the planet, the Cylons discover the colony, as Roslin had warned, and occupy the settlement ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).
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==Notes==

*The character of Laura Roslin is unique to the Re-imagined Series. It shares no counterpart to the [[Original Series]], where its version of President [[Adar (TOS)|Adar]] is killed, but a presidential replacement is never made.

*Roslin's apparent cure in "[[Epiphanies]]" contradicts the "dying leader" clause of the [[Pythia|Pythian Prophecy]], despite the fulfillment of her role in the [[Tomb of Athena]] story arc. Indications from the creators of the show suggest that Roslin's health trials may not yet be over.

*Actress Mary McDonnell is perhaps best known for her role in the epic film, ''Dances with Wolves'', with Kevin Costner. She also played a First Lady in "Independence Day", another film which, in a far more campy way, depicts cocky human fighter pilots battling an enemy from outer space that attempts to exterminate mankind.

*The glasses her character wears are also her real glasses.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/index.php?cat=features&vid=37452|title=Mary McDonnell Q & A, Part 1|date=2006-10-13|accessdate=2006-10-14|last=|first=|format=VID|language=English}}</ref>

==References==
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{{succession box|before=[[Richard Adar]]|title=[[Government|President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol]]|after=[[Gaius Baltar]]}}
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{{Characters}}

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