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Hero

2006-11-23T05:25:38Z

ViperPilot:

{{Episode Data
| title= Hero
| image= Season 3 - Promo - Hero -Adama Tigh and Novacek.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 8
| guests= [[Carl Lumbly]]
| writer= [[David Eick]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production=
| rating=
| US airdate= 2006-11-17
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population= 41,421
| prev= [[A Measure of Salvation]]
| next= [[Unfinished Business]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''A [[Bulldog|figure]] from [[William Adama|Adama]]'s past returns to haunt him. His return raises questions about why the Cylons launched their initial attack against the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/battlestar-galactica-2003/hero/episode/748771/summary.html |title=TV.com Episode Summary}}</ref>''
== Summary ==

=== On ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' ===

* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' detects three [[Cylon Raider|Raiders]]. Much to the surpise of the [[CIC]] crew, two Raiders are pursuing a third Raider, damaged by Cylon gunfire. [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] are dispatched. After destroying the pursuing Raiders, they go after the third.
* In CIC, [[Admiral Adama]] orders Kat and Starbuck to escort the Raider to ''Galactica'', after hearing, from the Raider, a familiar human voice and callsign: [[Bulldog]].
* In the hangar bay, Adama and the party are surprised that a human has exited the Raider. A visibly weak Daniel Novacek salutes Adama; Adama returns the salute.
* Over a meal (noodles eaten with chopsticks) Adama asks Novachek how he escaped. He relates a story of plague on the [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and escaping after killing a [[Number Three]] with a blow to the nose delivered through the cell bars.
* Bulldog is debriefed by the [[Laura Roslin|President]] with Adama present, where they tell a (decidedly shaky) story of a mining facility too close to the Armistice Line. When the briefing ends, Roslin immediately questions Adama's story. He replies that it is "his mess" and that he resolve it. After she leaves, Adama kicks over a table in frustration.
* Novachek sees [[Saul Tigh]] in his quarters shortly after Adama talks to him. Tigh informs Novacek that Adama (aboard battlestar ''[[Valkyrie]]'') ordered Novachek shot down to get rid of evidence of their incursion into Cylon space.
*Meanwhile, Adama confesses the mission's actual specifics to his son, [[Lee Adama|Lee]], and his belief that he provoked the Cylon attacks on the Colonies. Aghast at first, Lee Adama tries to console his father, blaming the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Fleet Admiralty]], saying that he was "only one man." Adama responds, "It only takes one."
* [[Kara Thrace]] reviews their Viper's gun film from the fight with the Cylon Raiders and realizes that the Cylons were deliberately missing their target, letting Bulldog get away. She goes to Saul Tigh with this information, who deduces that Bulldog was sent there by the Cylons to kill the admiral.
* Tigh finds Novacek in the process of killing Adama and stops him. Bulldog has flashbacks to being let out of his cell.
* Later, Adama presents his resignation to Roslin. Bemused, she refuses to accept it, and points out that the Admiralty may have been trying to provoke a war, and that he cannot shoulder the entire responsiblity for the holocaust on his shoulders. She then tells him that his penance will be to accept a [[Medal of Distinction]] for his long years of service, and to be a hero, a trait badly needed for the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet's morale]].
* After sending Novacek off to a berthing on another ship with a uniform, Tigh and Adama sit down for a drink in the admiral's quarters to discuss what happened to [[Ellen Tigh]] on [[New Caprica]].

=== On a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] ===
*In a dream, [[Three]] is trying to avoid marines on ''[[Galactica]]''. The marines corner her against a hatch labelled "End of Line." The marines raise their weapons and Three tells them to shoot.
*As the shots go off, Three wakes up in bed with [[Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six]]. She has apparently been having a sexual relationship with Baltar and possibly Six as well.
*In the Cylon control room, Caprica-Six questions Three about her bad dreams. Caprica Six asks if the dreams are about Baltar. Three indicates otherwise, but does not elaborate.
*Three gives a [[Cylon Centurion]] orders to shoot her, and then delete any information regarding the incident. The Centurion obeys and shoots her in the head. In the moments before she is downloaded, she experiences images from her dream mixed in with memories from New Caprica and other more cryptic scenes.
*Three awakes in a [[Cylon rebirthing tank]] where a worried Caprica-Six tries to help her recover. Three tells her, "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

== Questions ==
*Were the Admiralty's fears valid, or was the Cylon force that destroyed the Colonies built up just since that mission?
*Did Bulldog know of or see other human prisoners during his three years of captivity?
*How was Bulldog directed to the precise location of the fleet?
*What class of battlestar does ''[[Valkyrie]]'' belong to?
*Why would a "Stealth Ship" in enemy territory break radio silence?
*Was ''[[Valkyrie]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s mission the only one the admiralty undertook or were there others?
*Was [[Laura Roslin]] right in speculating that the admiralty might have sent ''[[Valkyrie]]'' in order to provoke a war?
*Why did the Cylons have one craft jump in and fire on the stealth star and then jump out, then sending two more ships to finish the attack?
*Who were the five white-robed figures [[Three]] saw in her vision before downloading? Are they related to the Original Series's [[Beings of Light]]? Could they represent the mysterious "Final Five" Cylons?
*Were the Cylons on the Baseship where Bulldog was held actually sick?
*Does Bulldog have information regarding the other humanoid Cylon models that nothing is known of?
*How did Baltar's status change from torturee in "[[A Measure of Salvation]]" to an apparent sexual relationship with [[Caprica Six]] and [[Number Three]]?
* Was Adama's whole command staff transferred from the ''[[Valkyrie]] ''to ''[[Galactica]]'' after the failure of the recon mission?
*Why did Number three go through all the trouble to program the Centurion to erase its memory once it shot her? Was she afraid of being 'boxed' by the other Cylons for reasons of insanity or because it would do some sort of damage on the Centurion once its processed the kill?

== Analysis ==
*Adama and Roslin know each other well enough by now to tell when the other is lying, or is not fooled by a lie, even when others around can't. Roslin has always been the better of the two in this ability, as early as revealing Adama's initial ruse about the location of [[Earth]] ([[Miniseries]]).
*At the end of the episode, [[Saul Tigh]] appears to be attempting to try and deal with his guilt over his wife, but he does not seem to want his job as XO back, at least not any time soon.
*Adama's feelings of guilt over his actions during ''[[Valkyrie]]'s'' mission seem to shed new light on the motivation for his speech at ''[[Galactica]]'s'' decomissioning ceremony at the begining of the series. Also, they explain his near-monomania with safeguarding and/or rescuing those under his command or protection.
*The Cylons seem to have been able to detect and destroy The [[Stealth Star]] that had only entered two kilometers into their space. This seems suspicious given the fact that they were unable to detect the [[Blackbird]], presumably a far less sophisticated design. Either the Cylons had more advanced detection equipment on the [[Armistice Line]], or they had advance knowledge of Bulldog's mission.
**It is only speculation that the Blackbird's stealth capabilities were less effective than those of the Stealth Star. The reason that the Blackbird went undetected by the Cylons is that its hull, at Helo's suggestion, was made of carbon composite. There is no way of knowing whether or not this was true of the Stealth Star.
***In addition, the Cylons near the [[Armistice Line]] would have known to look for stealth ships, as they probably suspected that the Colonial fleet would try to gain intel on Cylon military status. After the destruction of the colonies, it is unlikely that the Cylons believed that the Colonials were still in possession of any kind of stealth fighter and would not attempt to detect one.
***The fact that the Cylons expected penetration by stealth ships suggests that they may have done their share of Armistice Line violation.
**Bulldog was communicating to the Valkyrie before being attacked. The Cylons may have been able to detect this radiation and fire at the source of it.
**It is possible that the [[Stealth Star]] had a transponder beacon which allowed the [[Valkyrie]] to track and target it, whereas the [[Blackbird]] most likely did not have a transponder installed at time of it's first flight.
*Bulldog's story is even less believable given the fact that it took Kara Thrace several hours to gut a [[Raider]] and learn how to fly it. Granted, the Raider Kara captured was damaged, but it would still have taken Bulldog some time to adapt the raider for his own use.
**As the episode implies that Bulldog was deliberately released by the Cylons in an effort to direct his anger towards Adama, it is possible that the Cylons allowed Bulldog to gain a working knowledge of the raider.
*Bulldog probably could have stolen a Heavy Raider, which unlike the light versions seems to have a crew compartment and perhaps piloting controls, but then the production crew couldn't have re-used the captured-Raider prop from "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" on the flight deck set.
*Kara Thrace going to Tigh with her findings is an acknowledgment of their shared semi-pariah status and the connection that was shown in "[[Collaborators]]" for the first time.
*The last two scenes of "Hero" appear to have been edited to ensure that the final scene was with Adama and Tigh. Right after the celebration scene, Adama is seen giving Bulldog a new uniform, but Adama is wearing his everyday uniform. In the final scene with Tigh, Adama is wearing his dress grays from the celebration. It appears at the very least, the two scenes were in reverse order, meaning the episode originally ended with Adama giving Bulldog his new uniform.
*During her non-corporeal limbo between death and download, Three finds herself reliving a mismash of memories from her various lives, including her final moments during "[[Downloaded]]" before her death, her discovery of Hera on New Caprica ("[[Exodus, Part II]]"), and also a memory we do not know her to have experienced: the opera house revealed to Baltar by his internal Six during the final moments of "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]".
**This sequence, as well as this episode as a whole, showcases a number of fundamental BSG leitmotivs that have had little to no exposure in their original form since the end of season one/beginning of season two. The sound, as well as the imagery, reminds us that we've seen the opera house before, and the associated musical themes will likely help elucidate the symbolism behind the two visions.
*Three's flashbacks after being shot by the centurion indicate that she is the same individual who was killed on Caprica by [[Caprica-Six]] in "[[Downloaded]]" and who found Hera in "[[Exodus, Part II]]". It is of course possible that some of these recollections are the result of memory-sharing rather than direct experience.
**If she is the same Three that died on Caprica, that leaves the question how it can be that she didn't get the Opera House experience on her first death, even though she was stuck in limbo for thirty-six hours because of the massive casualties at the cafe in [[Downloaded]]. It is plausible that this Three wanted to die because she'd never experienced death before.
***It is also plausible that God is only just now trying to tell her something. The opera house may act as a cue, a signal sent from God that facilitates reflection on one's own destiny at a pivotal point in their existence, when it is no longer acceptable to ignore their role in God's plan out of arrogance or inconvenience (Baltar, "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]" ), or because it seems a contradiction of the identity they'd formed by refusing to question their fate (Three, from the final days of the Occupation through "Hero"). In both cases, the opera house is revealed to a soul straddling the line between life and death, both in a physical and spiritual sense, and it is perhaps this balance that can uniquely invoke the presence of God, and guide the chosen instruments towards their intended destiny.
****It is interesting to note the central role Hera plays in both of the visions that bring us to the opera house.
*There's at least [[Stoffa|one other doctor]] of some kind in the fleet, because Cottle instructs Bulldog to report to him.
**This doctor is probably a psychotherapist that specializes in some sort of mental trama issues. Considering that Bulldog was in captivity for such a long time, and his breakdown while attacking Adama, at the very least, Bulldog will need a counselor to help him work through all of the emotional and mental scars that he's endured. Cottle had already confirmed that Bulldog was generally well cared for, physically, by the Cylons.
*Based on the Raider's apparently staged attack, the Cylons appear to know the current location of the Fleet.
*It appears that the Admiralty transferred those directly involved with the mission to ''Galactica''. This is supported by Gaeta made a statement during the [[Mini-series|miniseries]] about serving with Adama for three years (prior to the attack), as well as Tigh's comment saying that the mission, "wasn't exactly a boon to [Adama's] career."

===Adama's Dossier===
Laura Roslin reviews a dossier prepared for her by [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] on her first day aboard ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. It includes large photos of battlestar ''Galactica'', a photograph of the CIC crew of ''[[Valkyrie]]'', a (mostly illegible) certificate bearing [[Saul Tigh]]'s name, and a cursory biography of William Adama, reproduced in full below:

:'''Commander William Adama'''

:*Born H5/21290 and raised on the colony of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], in [[Qualai]], a small coastal community
:*Mother, [[Evelyn Adama]], an accountant.
:*Father, [[Joseph Adama]], a prominent attorney who specialized in criminal defese and civil liberties.

:'''Military Service'''

:D6/21311 First commission, Battlestar Galactica, fighter squadron<br />
:E4/21312 Commendation for shooting down Cylon fighter in first combat mission.<br />
:D5/21314 Mustered out of service post-armistice<br />
:R6/21317 Served as Deck Hand in merchant fleet and as common […] aboard inter-colony tramp freighters<br />
:D1/21331 Recomissioned to Fleet<br />
:D6/21337 Major: Battlestar [[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]<br />
:R8/21341 Executive Officer: Battlestar [[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]<br />
:C2/21345 Commander: Battlestar Valkyrie<br />
:C2/21348 Commander: Battlestar Galactica

This provides some interesting information. The fields in the format X#/##### appear to be dates, with the five-digit string following the solidus apparently corresponding to the year. This corroborates various points of information supplied thus far:

* Adama's father was named Joseph ([[Hand of God]]), and was a civil rights attorney ("[[Litmus]]", "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]").
* In a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#Valley of Darkness|scene]] cut from "[[Valley of Darkness]]", it is noted that Adama joined the fleet toward the end of the war, and was attached to ''Galactica'' as a fighter pilot.
* Adama served on ''[[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]'' during his thousandth landing, which indicates that he was still a flight officer at that time ([[Act of Contrition]]). Given his rank of Major, he was likely the [[CAG]] on ''Atlantia''.
* The date of the [[Cimtar Peace Accord|Armistice]] is correct at 42 years before the present, as stated in the [[Miniseries]] and accounting for the passage of slightly over two years since that time.

The following can be deduced from this document:

* This episode marks the 45th anniversary of Adama's commissioning, which puts it in the year 21356, and makes Adama 66 years old.
* Adama spent three years in between being mustered out and finding a job on a tramp freighter. We may speculate that it was during this time that his relationship with first wife [[Caroline Adama|Caroline]] deteriorated.
* Adama spent a total of 14 years serving in the merchant fleet.
* Adama met Tigh roughly 30 years ago ([[Torn]]). That would be 21326, which correctly puts it in the middle of Adama's merchant fleet service.
* Adama was a major by the time he arranged for Tigh to be reinstated in the fleet ([[Scattered]]), which means that at least six years passed in between Adama's recomissioning and Tigh's.
* Ronald Moore stated in his [[Podcast:Scattered|podcast for "Scattered"]] that the flashback scenes in [[Scattered|that episode]] took place 20 years before that episode, or in 21334. In fact, they appear to span at least an eleven-year period between 21326 (Adama and Tigh's first meeting) to 21337 (Adama's promotion to Major).
* The first [[Colonial Day (holiday)|Colonial Day]], marking the unification of the Colonies, was probably in 21304. The one celebrated in "[[Colonial Day]]" was the 52nd, and it is now two years later.

If the five-digit string following the solidus is in fact the year, as seems inescapable based on the above, the letter-digit sequence before it must indicate the position in the year. There are 260 unique letter-digit sequences of that format, which may indicate a shorter year in the Colonial calendar (a year of twenty-six ten-day weeks?) However, what has been revealed about Colonial timekeeping is too incomplete to draw any conclusions.

It is astonishing to learn that the Colonials have (or believe they have) over 21,000 years of recorded history. By comparison, Pythia was said to have recorded her prophecies 3,600 years ago ([[The Hand of God]]) and the exodus from [[Kobol]] took place just 2,000 years ago. On [[Earth]], Human civilization is only about 6,000 years old.

Adama's resignation letter at the end of the episode appears to be dated in an entirely different format. It's difficult to read clearly, but it appears to be dated "27/89/9923".

== Notes ==
*In Adama's flashback, the admirals are wearing their decorations on their day uniforms. This contrasts with most Colonial Fleet officers shown thus far, who only wear their decorations on their dress uniform sash.

*Both [[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Sharon Agathon]] appear in this episode, but neither has any lines.

*In Number Three's dream, the door at which she is shot by the marines is labeled "End of Line". As well as being a metaphor for death, this is a statement repeated often by the Cylon [[Hybrid]].

*This episode shares some plot elements with the ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode, "The Defector," written by RDM. Notably, it begins with a dramatic chase delivering a dubious ally into friendly hands that is later shown to be staged. Additionally, both episodes feature plots revolving around a contested border.

*Admiral William Adama names Major Lee Adama to succeed him as commander of ''Galactica'' in his resignation letter.

*The white figures briefly glimpsed by Number Three in her vision of the Opera House look very similar to the "[[Beings of Light]]" from the Original Series, particularly as they appeared in [[War of the Gods, Part II]]. They are seen in both this and that episode as figures in white hoods and robes with whited-out faces and black eyes.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* '''[[Number Three]]''': (to [[Caprica Six]]) "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

* ''[[Bulldog]] calls on [[Saul Tigh]] at Saul's quarters:
:'''Tigh''': So ... drink?
:'''Bulldog''': You have no idea!
:'''Tigh''' (scowling, unseen): Yes, I do.

== Official Statements ==
*A video blog gives an insight to this episode during filming. <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/index.php?cat=videoBlog&vid=34824|title=Introducing Bulldog|date=2006-10-11|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=VID|language=}}</ref>

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
*[[Carl Lumbly]] as Lt. [[Daniel Novacek]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[imdb:nm0447921|Barry Kennedy]] as Admiral [[Corman]]
* [[imdb:nm0461101|Tiffany Lyndall-Knight]] as [[Hybrid]] (credited)

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by David Eick]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Hero

2006-11-23T05:23:10Z

ViperPilot: /* Analysis */

{{Episode Data
| title= Hero
| image= Season 3 - Promo - Hero -Adama Tigh and Novacek.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 8
| guests= [[Carl Lumbly]]
| writer= [[David Eick]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production=
| rating=
| US airdate= 2006-11-17
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population= 41,421
| prev= [[A Measure of Salvation]]
| next= [[Unfinished Business]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''A [[Bulldog|figure]] from [[William Adama|Adama]]'s past returns to haunt him. His return raises questions about why the Cylons launched their initial attack against the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/battlestar-galactica-2003/hero/episode/748771/summary.html |title=TV.com Episode Summary}}</ref>''
== Summary ==

=== On ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' ===

* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' detects three [[Cylon Raider|Raiders]]. Much to the surpise of the [[CIC]] crew, two Raiders are pursuing a third Raider, damaged by Cylon gunfire. [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] are dispatched. After destroying the pursuing Raiders, they go after the third.
* In CIC, [[Admiral Adama]] orders Kat and Starbuck to escort the Raider to ''Galactica'', after hearing, from the Raider, a familiar human voice and callsign: [[Bulldog]].
* In the hangar bay, Adama and the party are surprised that a human has exited the Raider. A visibly weak Daniel Novacek salutes Adama; Adama returns the salute.
* Over a meal (noodles eaten with chopsticks) Adama asks Novachek how he escaped. He relates a story of plague on the [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and escaping after killing a [[Number Three]] with a blow to the nose delivered through the cell bars.
* Bulldog is debriefed by the [[Laura Roslin|President]] with Adama present, where they tell a (decidedly shaky) story of a mining facility too close to the Armistice Line. When the briefing ends, Roslin immediately questions Adama's story. He replies that it is "his mess" and that he resolve it. After she leaves, Adama kicks over a table in frustration.
* Novachek sees [[Saul Tigh]] in his quarters shortly after Adama talks to him. Tigh informs Novacek that Adama (aboard battlestar ''[[Valkyrie]]'') ordered Novachek shot down to get rid of evidence of their incursion into Cylon space.
*Meanwhile, Adama confesses the mission's actual specifics to his son, [[Lee Adama|Lee]], and his belief that he provoked the Cylon attacks on the Colonies. Aghast at first, Lee Adama tries to console his father, blaming the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Fleet Admiralty]], saying that he was "only one man." Adama responds, "It only takes one."
* [[Kara Thrace]] reviews their Viper's gun film from the fight with the Cylon Raiders and realizes that the Cylons were deliberately missing their target, letting Bulldog get away. She goes to Saul Tigh with this information, who deduces that Bulldog was sent there by the Cylons to kill the admiral.
* Tigh finds Novacek in the process of killing Adama and stops him. Bulldog has flashbacks to being let out of his cell.
* Later, Adama presents his resignation to Roslin. Bemused, she refuses to accept it, and points out that the Admiralty may have been trying to provoke a war, and that he cannot shoulder the entire responsiblity for the holocaust on his shoulders. She then tells him that his penance will be to accept a [[Medal of Distinction]] for his long years of service, and to be a hero, a trait badly needed for the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet's morale]].
* After sending Novacek off to a berthing on another ship with a uniform, Tigh and Adama sit down for a drink in the admiral's quarters to discuss what happened to [[Ellen Tigh]] on [[New Caprica]].

=== On a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] ===
*In a dream, [[Three]] is trying to avoid marines on ''[[Galactica]]''. The marines corner her against a hatch labelled "End of Line." The marines raise their weapons and Three tells them to shoot.
*As the shots go off, Three wakes up in bed with [[Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six]]. She has apparently been having a sexual relationship with Baltar and possibly Six as well.
*In the Cylon control room, Caprica-Six questions Three about her bad dreams. Caprica Six asks if the dreams are about Baltar. Three indicates otherwise, but does not elaborate.
*Three gives a [[Cylon Centurion]] orders to shoot her, and then delete any information regarding the incident. The Centurion obeys and shoots her in the head. In the moments before she is downloaded, she experiences images from her dream mixed in with memories from New Caprica and other more cryptic scenes.
*Three awakes in a [[Cylon rebirthing tank]] where a worried Caprica-Six tries to help her recover. Three tells her, "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

== Questions ==
*Were the Admiralty's fears valid, or was the Cylon force that destroyed the Colonies built up just since that mission?
*Did Bulldog know of or see other human prisoners during his three years of captivity?
*How was Bulldog directed to the precise location of the fleet?
*What class of battlestar does ''[[Valkyrie]]'' belong to?
*Why would a "Stealth Ship" in enemy territory break radio silence?
*Was ''[[Valkyrie]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s mission the only one the admiralty undertook or were there others?
*Was [[Laura Roslin]] right in speculating that the admiralty might have sent ''[[Valkyrie]]'' in order to provoke a war?
*Why did the Cylons have one craft jump in and fire on the stealth star and then jump out, then sending two more ships to finish the attack?
*Who were the five white-robed figures [[Three]] saw in her vision before downloading? Are they related to the Original Series's [[Beings of Light]]? Could they represent the mysterious "Final Five" Cylons?
*Were the Cylons on the Baseship where Bulldog was held actually sick?
*Does Bulldog have information regarding the other humanoid Cylon models that nothing is known of?
*How did Baltar's status change from torturee in "[[A Measure of Salvation]]" to an apparent sexual relationship with [[Caprica Six]] and [[Number Three]]?
* Was Adama's whole command staff transferred from the ''[[Valkyrie]] ''to ''[[Galactica]]'' after the failure of the recon mission?
*Why did Number three go through all the trouble to program the Centurion to erase its memory once it shot her? Was she afraid of being 'boxed' by the other Cylons for reasons of insanity or because it would do some sort of damage on the Centurion once its processed the kill?

== Analysis ==
*Adama and Roslin know each other well enough by now to tell when the other is lying, or is not fooled by a lie, even when others around can't. Roslin has always been the better of the two in this ability, as early as revealing Adama's initial ruse about the location of [[Earth]] ([[Miniseries]]).
*At the end of the episode, [[Saul Tigh]] appears to be attempting to try and deal with his guilt over his wife, but he does not seem to want his job as XO back, at least not any time soon.
*Adama's feelings of guilt over his actions during ''[[Valkyrie]]'s'' mission seem to shed new light on the motivation for his speech at ''[[Galactica]]'s'' decomissioning ceremony at the begining of the series. Also, they explain his near-monomania with safeguarding and/or rescuing those under his command or protection.
*The Cylons seem to have been able to detect and destroy The [[Stealth Star]] that had only entered two kilometers into their space. This seems suspicious given the fact that they were unable to detect the [[Blackbird]], presumably a far less sophisticated design. Either the Cylons had more advanced detection equipment on the [[Armistice Line]], or they had advance knowledge of Bulldog's mission.
**It is only speculation that the Blackbird's stealth capabilities were less effective than those of the Stealth Star. The reason that the Blackbird went undetected by the Cylons is that its hull, at Helo's suggestion, was made of carbon composite. There is no way of knowing whether or not this was true of the Stealth Star.
***In addition, the Cylons near the [[Armistice Line]] would have known to look for stealth ships, as they probably suspected that the Colonial fleet would try to gain intel on Cylon military status. After the destruction of the colonies, it is unlikely that the Cylons believed that the Colonials were still in possession of any kind of stealth fighter and would not attempt to detect one.
***The fact that the Cylons expected penetration by stealth ships suggests that they may have done their share of Armistice Line violation.
**Bulldog was communicating to the Valkyrie before being attacked. The Cylons may have been able to detect this radiation and fire at the source of it.
**It is possible that the [[Stealth Star]] had a transponder beacon which allowed the [[Valkyrie]] to track and target it, whereas the [[Blackbird]] did not have a transponder installed at time of it's first flight.
*Bulldog's story is even less believable given the fact that it took Kara Thrace several hours to gut a [[Raider]] and learn how to fly it. Granted, the Raider Kara captured was damaged, but it would still have taken Bulldog some time to adapt the raider for his own use.
**As the episode implies that Bulldog was deliberately released by the Cylons in an effort to direct his anger towards Adama, it is possible that the Cylons allowed Bulldog to gain a working knowledge of the raider.
*Bulldog probably could have stolen a Heavy Raider, which unlike the light versions seems to have a crew compartment and perhaps piloting controls, but then the production crew couldn't have re-used the captured-Raider prop from "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" on the flight deck set.
*Kara Thrace going to Tigh with her findings is an acknowledgment of their shared semi-pariah status and the connection that was shown in "[[Collaborators]]" for the first time.
*The last two scenes of "Hero" appear to have been edited to ensure that the final scene was with Adama and Tigh. Right after the celebration scene, Adama is seen giving Bulldog a new uniform, but Adama is wearing his everyday uniform. In the final scene with Tigh, Adama is wearing his dress grays from the celebration. It appears at the very least, the two scenes were in reverse order, meaning the episode originally ended with Adama giving Bulldog his new uniform.
*During her non-corporeal limbo between death and download, Three finds herself reliving a mismash of memories from her various lives, including her final moments during "[[Downloaded]]" before her death, her discovery of Hera on New Caprica ("[[Exodus, Part II]]"), and also a memory we do not know her to have experienced: the opera house revealed to Baltar by his internal Six during the final moments of "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]".
**This sequence, as well as this episode as a whole, showcases a number of fundamental BSG leitmotivs that have had little to no exposure in their original form since the end of season one/beginning of season two. The sound, as well as the imagery, reminds us that we've seen the opera house before, and the associated musical themes will likely help elucidate the symbolism behind the two visions.
*Three's flashbacks after being shot by the centurion indicate that she is the same individual who was killed on Caprica by [[Caprica-Six]] in "[[Downloaded]]" and who found Hera in "[[Exodus, Part II]]". It is of course possible that some of these recollections are the result of memory-sharing rather than direct experience.
**If she is the same Three that died on Caprica, that leaves the question how it can be that she didn't get the Opera House experience on her first death, even though she was stuck in limbo for thirty-six hours because of the massive casualties at the cafe in [[Downloaded]]. It is plausible that this Three wanted to die because she'd never experienced death before.
***It is also plausible that God is only just now trying to tell her something. The opera house may act as a cue, a signal sent from God that facilitates reflection on one's own destiny at a pivotal point in their existence, when it is no longer acceptable to ignore their role in God's plan out of arrogance or inconvenience (Baltar, "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]" ), or because it seems a contradiction of the identity they'd formed by refusing to question their fate (Three, from the final days of the Occupation through "Hero"). In both cases, the opera house is revealed to a soul straddling the line between life and death, both in a physical and spiritual sense, and it is perhaps this balance that can uniquely invoke the presence of God, and guide the chosen instruments towards their intended destiny.
****It is interesting to note the central role Hera plays in both of the visions that bring us to the opera house.
*There's at least [[Stoffa|one other doctor]] of some kind in the fleet, because Cottle instructs Bulldog to report to him.
**This doctor is probably a psychotherapist that specializes in some sort of mental trama issues. Considering that Bulldog was in captivity for such a long time, and his breakdown while attacking Adama, at the very least, Bulldog will need a counselor to help him work through all of the emotional and mental scars that he's endured. Cottle had already confirmed that Bulldog was generally well cared for, physically, by the Cylons.
*Based on the Raider's apparently staged attack, the Cylons appear to know the current location of the Fleet.
*It appears that the Admiralty transferred those directly involved with the mission to ''Galactica''. This is supported by Gaeta made a statement during the [[Mini-series|miniseries]] about serving with Adama for three years (prior to the attack), as well as Tigh's comment saying that the mission, "wasn't exactly a boon to [Adama's] career."

===Adama's Dossier===
Laura Roslin reviews a dossier prepared for her by [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] on her first day aboard ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. It includes large photos of battlestar ''Galactica'', a photograph of the CIC crew of ''[[Valkyrie]]'', a (mostly illegible) certificate bearing [[Saul Tigh]]'s name, and a cursory biography of William Adama, reproduced in full below:

:'''Commander William Adama'''

:*Born H5/21290 and raised on the colony of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], in [[Qualai]], a small coastal community
:*Mother, [[Evelyn Adama]], an accountant.
:*Father, [[Joseph Adama]], a prominent attorney who specialized in criminal defese and civil liberties.

:'''Military Service'''

:D6/21311 First commission, Battlestar Galactica, fighter squadron<br />
:E4/21312 Commendation for shooting down Cylon fighter in first combat mission.<br />
:D5/21314 Mustered out of service post-armistice<br />
:R6/21317 Served as Deck Hand in merchant fleet and as common […] aboard inter-colony tramp freighters<br />
:D1/21331 Recomissioned to Fleet<br />
:D6/21337 Major: Battlestar [[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]<br />
:R8/21341 Executive Officer: Battlestar [[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]<br />
:C2/21345 Commander: Battlestar Valkyrie<br />
:C2/21348 Commander: Battlestar Galactica

This provides some interesting information. The fields in the format X#/##### appear to be dates, with the five-digit string following the solidus apparently corresponding to the year. This corroborates various points of information supplied thus far:

* Adama's father was named Joseph ([[Hand of God]]), and was a civil rights attorney ("[[Litmus]]", "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]").
* In a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#Valley of Darkness|scene]] cut from "[[Valley of Darkness]]", it is noted that Adama joined the fleet toward the end of the war, and was attached to ''Galactica'' as a fighter pilot.
* Adama served on ''[[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]'' during his thousandth landing, which indicates that he was still a flight officer at that time ([[Act of Contrition]]). Given his rank of Major, he was likely the [[CAG]] on ''Atlantia''.
* The date of the [[Cimtar Peace Accord|Armistice]] is correct at 42 years before the present, as stated in the [[Miniseries]] and accounting for the passage of slightly over two years since that time.

The following can be deduced from this document:

* This episode marks the 45th anniversary of Adama's commissioning, which puts it in the year 21356, and makes Adama 66 years old.
* Adama spent three years in between being mustered out and finding a job on a tramp freighter. We may speculate that it was during this time that his relationship with first wife [[Caroline Adama|Caroline]] deteriorated.
* Adama spent a total of 14 years serving in the merchant fleet.
* Adama met Tigh roughly 30 years ago ([[Torn]]). That would be 21326, which correctly puts it in the middle of Adama's merchant fleet service.
* Adama was a major by the time he arranged for Tigh to be reinstated in the fleet ([[Scattered]]), which means that at least six years passed in between Adama's recomissioning and Tigh's.
* Ronald Moore stated in his [[Podcast:Scattered|podcast for "Scattered"]] that the flashback scenes in [[Scattered|that episode]] took place 20 years before that episode, or in 21334. In fact, they appear to span at least an eleven-year period between 21326 (Adama and Tigh's first meeting) to 21337 (Adama's promotion to Major).
* The first [[Colonial Day (holiday)|Colonial Day]], marking the unification of the Colonies, was probably in 21304. The one celebrated in "[[Colonial Day]]" was the 52nd, and it is now two years later.

If the five-digit string following the solidus is in fact the year, as seems inescapable based on the above, the letter-digit sequence before it must indicate the position in the year. There are 260 unique letter-digit sequences of that format, which may indicate a shorter year in the Colonial calendar (a year of twenty-six ten-day weeks?) However, what has been revealed about Colonial timekeeping is too incomplete to draw any conclusions.

It is astonishing to learn that the Colonials have (or believe they have) over 21,000 years of recorded history. By comparison, Pythia was said to have recorded her prophecies 3,600 years ago ([[The Hand of God]]) and the exodus from [[Kobol]] took place just 2,000 years ago. On [[Earth]], Human civilization is only about 6,000 years old.

Adama's resignation letter at the end of the episode appears to be dated in an entirely different format. It's difficult to read clearly, but it appears to be dated "27/89/9923".

== Notes ==
*In Adama's flashback, the admirals are wearing their decorations on their day uniforms. This contrasts with most Colonial Fleet officers shown thus far, who only wear their decorations on their dress uniform sash.

*Both [[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Sharon Agathon]] appear in this episode, but neither has any lines.

*In Number Three's dream, the door at which she is shot by the marines is labeled "End of Line". As well as being a metaphor for death, this is a statement repeated often by the Cylon [[Hybrid]].

*This episode shares some plot elements with the ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode, "The Defector," written by RDM. Notably, it begins with a dramatic chase delivering a dubious ally into friendly hands that is later shown to be staged. Additionally, both episodes feature plots revolving around a contested border.

*Admiral William Adama names Major Lee Adama to succeed him as commander of ''Galactica'' in his resignation letter.

*The white figures briefly glimpsed by Number Three in her vision of the Opera House look very similar to the "[[Beings of Light]]" from the Original Series, particularly as they appeared in [[War of the Gods, Part II]]. They are seen in both this and that episode as figures in white hoods and robes with whited-out faces and black eyes.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* '''[[Number Three]]''': (to [[Caprica Six]]) "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

* ''[[Bulldog]] calls on [[Saul Tigh]] at Saul's quarters:
:'''Tigh''': So ... drink?
:'''Bulldog''': You have no idea!
:'''Tigh''' (scowling, unseen): Yes, I do.

== Official Statements ==
*A video blog gives an insight to this episode during filming. <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/index.php?cat=videoBlog&vid=34824|title=Introducing Bulldog|date=2006-10-11|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=VID|language=}}</ref>

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
*[[Carl Lumbly]] as Lt. [[Daniel Novacek]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[imdb:nm0447921|Barry Kennedy]] as Admiral [[Corman]]
* [[imdb:nm0461101|Tiffany Lyndall-Knight]] as [[Hybrid]] (credited)

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by David Eick]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Samuel Anders

2006-10-18T22:16:40Z

ViperPilot: /* Notes */ Added a note about his tattoo and its signifigance.

{{Character Data
|photo=Anders.jpg
|age=
|colony=[[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname=Samuel T. Anders
|callsign=
|seen= Resistance (episode)
|pseen= Resistance
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=Married to [[Kara Thrace]]
|role=[[Caprica Resistance]] leader and Professional [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] player.
|rank=
|actor=[[Michael Trucco]]
|cylon=
}}

Leader of the human [[Caprica Resistance|resistance group]] on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], '''Samuel T. Anders''' was also the captain of the professional [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] team known as the [[Caprica Buccaneers]].

==Biography==
Anders was leading his team in high-altitude training in the mountains outside of [[Delphi]] when the [[Cylon Attack]] occurred and the planet was bombarded with nuclear weapons.

Being in a high-altitude rural area shielded Anders and his team from the blasts and most of the radioactive fallout that followed. He and the Buccaneers become ''ad hoc'' resistance fighters from that point forward, raiding armories and collecting caches of weapons, anti-radiation medication, ammo and supplies in the hopes of staying alive and defending themselves against the Cylons.

[[image:Resistance-Anders_Starbuck.jpg|thumb|left|'''Anders''' and [[Kara Thrace]] play [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] at the [[Caprica Resistance]]'s HQ on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] in "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]".]]
Anders was able to rally upwards of 100 people, mostly hikers and survivalists, to his resistance against the Cylons and from the former [[Delphi Union High School]] he was able to strike back at the Cylons for nine months. Unlike [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], the Caprica-based (and pregnant) [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], Anders seems to be focused more on surviving on Caprica than he is with leaving the planet.

Anders and his resistance members encounter Starbuck and Helo two months after the initial Cylon attack ([[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]).

Anders' main focus for a time is keeping himself and his resistance movement alive long enough for Kara Thrace to return to Caprica once again with reinforcements from ''Galactica'' and evacuate them. Thrace gives him her [[Identification tags|Fleet ID tags]] as a promise that she would come back for him. While waiting for rescue, Anders plans to locate and destroy as many Cylon hybrid-producing "farms" as possible ([[The Farm]]).

Anders and the resistance movement conduct acts of terrorism against the Cylons after they appropriate Delphi for their own. His aim was to scare the Cylons into believing there is no safe place for them and to kill them in the most gruesome way possible so they remember when they are reborn what it is like to die violently, like in an explosion ([[Downloaded]]).

Anders' physical features vaguely resemble [[Lee Adama]], which perhaps explains Thrace's immediate attraction to him. However, Anders appears much more self-assured than Adama.

Following the Cylon's reappropriation of Delphi, Anders and his fighters continue their insurgency, and carry out a series of attacks on the Cylons, the most notable of which was the destruction of a café which kill roughly 40 Cylons. After planting the bomb in a garage, Anders is trapped with the bomb after defending it from a Centurion. Hiding behind a car on the other side of the garage, Anders is mostly protected from the blast but buried under rubble. Later found by [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] and [[Number Three]]. Anders is spared, as he would be a useful source of information. When [[Caprica-Six]] talks about genocide and God's love, Anders uses the opening to try and kill Number Three, but is stopped by Boomer. Three is more than willing to take revenge, but all were astonished when Caprica-Six kills Three. Heeding Six's orders to get out, Anders flees, still puzzled by what had transpired ([[Downloaded]]).

Anders survives an assault by the Cylons at the resistance's headquarters -- the same morning that the Caprica [[SAR]] team lands nearby. The Cylons assaulted the remnants of the Resistance as they head for the Raptors ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]), forcing them to go to higher ground. After the Cylons stop attacking them, Thrace (leading the rescue team) fears the worst. Anders and Thrace promise to kill each other so that the Cylons would be unable to put them in one of their [[farms]]. Miraculously, a [[Cavil|mysterious man]] appears to tell the team that the Cylons had left the Colonies.

Thrace and Anders' relationship picks up where it left off, forcing a rift to occur between Thrace and Lee Adama.

A year later, now married to Thrace on [[New Caprica]], Anders develops [[Wikipedia:pneumonia|pneumonia]], forcing Thrace to beg Lee Adama to release some antibiotics reserved for ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''' pilots.

After the Cylons occupy New Caprica, Anders is visited by a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] who inquires on Kara Thrace's whereabouts ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]). Since the Cylons had forced ''Pegasus'' and the defense fleet away from New Caprica, the antibiotics are no longer avaliable to help Anders.

Anders recovers from his sickness and is a leader of the [[New Caprica Resistance]], along with [[Saul Tigh]] and [[Galen Tyrol]]. Thrace was taken from him sometime after the occupation, and he is unsure if she is still living ([[Occupation]]).

==Notes==
*"Ander" is derived from a Greek term meaning "Man" (a well known example would be that "Anderson" means "Son of Man", etc). Fitting, given that Anders is leading the last free humans alive on Caprica in a resistance against the Cylons: it's literally a fight of "Man" versus Machines.

*The tattoo that Anders has on his right arm in Season 3 is his "wedding band". He got it after he married [[Kara Thrace]], who also has a similar tattoo, but it is on her right arm. They match up to form one set of wings and the circles overlap when they're facing each other. Both of them has half of the constellation of Capricorn (a reference to [[Caprica]] obviously) and a small symbol of the planet as well.

{{characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Anders, Samuel T.]]
[[Category:Characters|Anders, Samuel T.]]
[[Category:Characters (RDM)|Anders, Samuel T.]]
[[Category:RDM|Anders, Samuel T.]]

Kara Thrace

2006-10-18T22:15:09Z

ViperPilot: /* Notes */ Clarified the details about her tattoo and corrected some spelling errors.

:''This article discusses the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] character with the pilot callsign of "Starbuck." For information on Kara Thrace's counterpart in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]], see [[Starbuck (TOS)]].''

'''Kara "Starbuck" Thrace''', serial number 462753, is a gifted Viper pilot - and knows it. This leaves her with an attitude that has at times thwarted her career advancement. However, thanks to William Adama, Thrace's skills in battle have extended beyond the cockpit to greatly aid the Fleet.

{{Character Data
|photo= Season 3 Thrace.jpg
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= Kara Thrace
|callsign= Starbuck
|seen= Miniseries
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children= [[Kacey]]
|marital status= Married to [[Samuel Anders]] (Formerly engaged to [[Zak Adama]])
|role= Unknown, Formerly: Commander Air Group, Battlestar ''Galactica'' ([[The Captain's Hand]])
|rank= Captain
|actor= [[Katee Sackhoff]]
|cylon=
}}

== Background ==
*In an unhappy childhood, Thrace was so frequently beaten by her mother that she came to accept pain as a way of life ([[Flesh and Bone]]).
*Her father was a pianist ([[Valley of Darkness]]), suggesting that her formerly broken finger bones on both hands had been intentionally broken by a parent using her father's piano ([[The Farm]]).
*Thrace left home to join the [[Colonial Fleet|military]].
* She was a very talented [[pyramid]] player ([[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]), and received a scholarship to the Fleet Academy to play pyramid. During this time, she injured her knee and was no longer able to play pyramid at a professional level. During that time, however, she discovered a passion and skill at being a fighter pilot ([[Podcast:The Hand of God]]). On graduating from Colonial Flight School, she undertook a period of active duty before returning to flight school as an instructor.
*Thrace fell in love with a young recruit, [[Zak Adama]]. Despite his mediocre performance, she passed him on his final flight examination, despite failing three of the required maneuvers ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*Thrace's engagement to Zak Adama ends when he was killed during a routine mission shortly after graduating. At the time, [[Lee Adama]], Zak's elder brother, blamed their father for Zak Adama's death. In her guilt, Thrace did little to alter this idea. She did, however, meet [[William Adama]] shortly after the accident, and the two struck up such a strong rapport that they stood together at the funeral ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*Thrace resigned from flight school as a instructor and transferred as an operational pilot aboard [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'' under the command of William Adama, where she served for some two years prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon attack]] on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. Before the Cylon attack, she was second in command of the remaining pilots, subordinate to the [[CAG]], [[Jackson Spencer]].
*At the time of the Cylon attack she has an run-down apartment in [[Delphi]] that overlooks a parking lot. She rarely used the dilapidated apartment. She was also a very avid painter, and her apartment was cluttered with her paintings ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
*Despite her reckless approach to life, Thrace hides the fact that she is deeply spiritual. She frequently prays (or talks) to the [[Lords of Kobol]], particularly [[Aphrodite]] and [[Artemis]] in times of need ([[Miniseries]], "[[Flesh and Bone]]", "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]").

==Character History at a Glance==
*Thrace's attitude quickly runs her afoul of Colonel [[Saul Tigh]], ''Galactica's'' [[Executive officer]]. Their open mutual dislike of one another leads to the point where blows are exchanged, with Thrace ending up in the brig ([[Miniseries]]).
*While in the brig, Captain Spencer is killed in a Cylon slaughter of ''Galactica's'' last [[Viper Mark VII|Viper]] squadron. Lee "Apollo" Adama, who joins ''Galactica'', is given the senior pilot title.
*Thrace manages to keep two of three nuclear missiles from striking ''Galactica'' in their first Cylon sortie, and saves Captain Adama from doom in an innovative maneuver in the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage]].
*Her skills in saving Apollo brings her grudging respect from Colonel Tigh, but she is unable to accept his offer of the olive branch - an act that will have repercussions for her later.

[[image:Bastille_Day-Starbuck_Boxey.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] as acting [[CAG]] with [[Boxey (RDM)|Boxey]] as assistant in [[Bastille Day]].]]
*Thrace participates in a hostage rescue mission aboard the ''[[Astral Queen]]''. Following the successful mission, Thrace tries to mend fences between herself and Colonel Tigh with a toast (consisting of water), apologizing in much the same way as Tigh himself had tried after their initial escape from [[Ragnar Anchorage]]. But Tigh rejects Thrace's apology, stating that her flaws are professional, while his flaws were personal ([[Bastille Day]]).
*Thrace eventually admits her secret about Zak Adama to William Adama himself, an act that brings their close friendship almost to the breaking point ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*During a surprise encounter with Cylons during [[nugget]] training, Starbuck destroys several Cylon Raiders, but her ship is damaged and tumbles towards a small red moon with an unbreathable atmosphere. With her Viper in a fatal flat-spin, Starbuck is forced to eject from her Viper ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]).
*Thrace (nursing a damaged knee) repairs the downed Cylon Raider found on the inhabitable moon and returns to ''Galactica'', giving the Fleet a vital piece of Cylon fighter technology for study and use.
*The recovering Thrace, off flight status, is asked by Commander Adama to plan a special attack on a Cylon [[tylium]] refinery. The tactical planning role is not something she relishes, and she frequently shows resentment towards others for her condition ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]).
*During Thrace's undesired interrogation of a Cylon prisoner, a copy of a known [[Cylon agent]] named [[Leoben Conoy]], she uses some drastic acts to try to extract the information from the Cylon agent ([[Flesh and Bone]]).
[[image:Starbuck-Kobols_Last_Gleaming_pt2.jpg|thumb|right|'''Starbuck''' retrieves the [[Arrow of Apollo]] in [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]].]]
*Thrace is assigned to plant a nuclear device on board a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] in orbit around [[Kobol]]. Disobeying orders to retrieve the [[Arrow of Apollo]] by President Roslin's request, disillusioned by Commander Adama, she Jumps to Caprica ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]), landing in [[Delphi]].
*In the [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies]] with the Arrow, she is violently attacked by a copy of [[Number Six]]. Despite being heavily outmatched in the fight, Thrace luckily defeats the Cylon.
*At the museum, she reunites with [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], whom she thought dead, and discovers a second copy of [[Sharon Valerii]], realizing instantly that the woman is a Cylon.
*Valerii, fearing for her child, steals Thrace's Raider. In exasperation, Starbuck could only mutter: "Bitch took my ride" ([[Scattered]]). Like Helo, Starbuck was left with no way to return to the Fleet unless she could find her Raider or another Cylon spacecraft, as enemy FTL engines were the only ones sufficently powerful to reach the Fleet.
*Starbuck berates Helo's love for the Caprica copy of Valerii. Thrace finds the keys of her surplus military utility vehicle in her old jacket in her old apartment. Thrace has a ride again, if only to move more efficiently about Caprica ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
*Thrace and Helo meet a [[Caprica Resistance|resistance movement]] on Caprica. Thrace and [[Samuel Anders]] strike up a rapport as fellow [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]] players and end up as lovers.
*During planning to steal a [[Heavy Raider]], Thrace is shot in a military action, waking up in a hospital on Caprica. Thrace is told by her doctor, [[Simon]], that Anders died from wounds he suffered in getting Thrace to safety.
*Thrace discovers that Simon is working with a [[Number Six|known Cylon agent]]. She overhears that the next day he plans to extract her ovaries for use in the Cylon's attempts to study and create a hybrid Cylon/human embryo. Simon also makes the mistake of calling Thrace by her callsign, Starbuck, which she had never revealed.
*Staggering and in pain, Thrace kills Simon and escapes the hospital, but not before clocking a Six copy with a fire extinguisher and destroying the local farm power supply, mercy-killing [[Sue-Shaun]] and several other women in the facility.
*Another Simon copy appears just as the Resistance attacks the facility. The second Simon, now revealed as a Cylon agent himself, is immediately killed by the Resistance, but a squad of [[Cylon Centurion]]s appear and pins the Resistance down. Luckily, Helo's [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|copy of Sharon Valerii]] swoops in with a stolen [[Heavy Raider]], destroys the Centurions and flies the Resistance and Thrace out of harm's way.
*Thrace promises to Anders that she'll [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|return with a rescue mission]] for the remaining survivors. Anders returns the Arrow of Apollo to Thrace, which he hid on the resistance grounds for safekeeping ([[The Farm]]).
*Thrace, Helo and the pregnant Valerii land on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' in the Heavy Raider. Finding the [[Laura Roslin faction]] in orbit of [[Kobol]], Thrace is reunited with Lee Adama. He kisses her impulsively, catching Thrace by pleasant surprise, but a tense standoff follows when Adama discovers that another Valerii copy has returned with them. Roslin helps defuse the situation, and Thrace delivers the Arrow of Apollo to the President.
*Temporarily removed from miltary protoco, Lee Adama playfully teases Thrace by stealing a pyramid ball she took from Caprica. Adama senses her depression about Caprica and tells her that he'd be happy to hear about any problems she had. He also let slip that he loved her, which brightened Thrace's mood to the point where she teased him back about his slip.
*With a team led by Laura Roslin, Lee Adama, and, later, joined by the recovered Commander Adama, Thrace enters the [[Tomb of Athena]] and successfully uses the Arrow of Apollo to activate a hologram that shows constellations of the Twelve Colonies' ancient symbols.
*Thrace realizes that they are on a recreation of Earth. Together with Lee Adama, they locate the Lagoon Nebula, a celestial body known to Commander Adama and Lee Adama, and gather sufficient information to begin an actual course to Earth ([[Home, Part II]]).
*Thrace shows off the impressive stealth abilities in the new [[Blackbird]] fighter in her maiden flight ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).
*With the arrival of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', Admiral [[Helena Cain]] summarily assigns Thrace (and Lee Adama) to ''Pegasus'' after digesting the reports of ''Galactica'''s officers.
*[[Cole Taylor|The ''Pegasus'' CAG]] removes Thrace from the Cylon recon mission. Lee Adama secretly tells her to use the [[Blackbird]] to take recon photos of the Cylon Unknown. ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]])
*Returning from her very successful mission, the [[Blackbird]]'s lack of a Colonial transponder is mistaken for a Cylon [[Raider]] on [[DRADIS]], and Starbuck is nearly confronted and shot at by Vipers from ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica''. After narrowly avoiding certain death by declaring herself a friendly, Thrace transmits her recon photos to ''Pegasus'' and Admiral Cain.
*Cain is so impressed with Starbuck's performance that Cain promotes Thrace to Captain and ''Pegasus'' CAG.
*Thrace is assigned the task of planning the joint attack on the Resurrection Ship, but successfully asks to have Adama on her team, restoring him to flight status.
*After she briefs Cain and Commander Adama on her battle plan, Adama asks Thrace privately to assassinate Cain after the battle is complete. Adama fears that if Cain continues to command, the Fleet would be in mortal jeopardy from Cain's draconian command.
*Thrace's battle planning, as before on the [[tylium]] [[The Hand of God (RDM)|mine]], works to near-perfection, with the Resurrection Ship destroyed and its supporting basestars.
*As a result of the battle events, Thrace is left without backup as she walks to the ''Pegasus'' CIC to shoot Cain, obviously afraid and apprehensive. When Commander Adama calls, Thrace slowly moves her hand to her sidearm but, to her relief, Adama does not give the kill order and cryptically instructs her to stand down.
*Starbuck and [[Kat]] are involved in the protection of a mining operation from periodic Raider attacks. One Raider, nicknamed [[Scar (Raider)|Scar]], fuels an intensive rivalry for the pilot's "top gun" honor. Thrace, still depressed over her inability to convince Fleet command to initiate a rescue for Samuel Anders and his resistance, drinks heavily and obsesses over removing Scar from the sky, even at the cost of her life. Fortunately, Starbuck realizes the futility of her actions, and works together with Kat to destroy the remarkably dangerous Raider ([[Scar]]).
*A few weeks later, Thrace takes leave on ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' when she was dragooned into rescuing Lee Adama and several other ''Galactica'' crew and residents after terrorists take them hostage in exchange for the incarcerated [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]. Thrace gathers intel on the situation, but her cover is blown. In the retreating firefight, Lee Adama is caught in the crossfire. After the situation is resolved, Thrace intended to sit at Adama's bedside, only to discover that Dualla beat her there ([[Sacrifice]]).
*Later, Thrace is assigned to ''Pegasus'' as a flight trainer. Though the pilots like her, Commander [[Barry Garner]] does not, eventually confining her to quarters for "insubordination." Following the [[Battle of the Binary Star System|ill-fated rescue and retreat]] from a Cylon ambush (where Thrace leads the fighters), Thrace informs new ''Pegasus'' Commander Lee Adama that she was taking over his old CAG post aboard ''Galactica'' ([[The Captain's Hand]]).
*Thrace gets her wish: The Caprica rescue is approved, and she leads a large Raptor squadron to the planet. The group soon met up with Anders, who reports that their HQ had been destroyed and Thrace's timing was just perfect. A squad of Centurions ambush and pin down the group moments later ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]).
*Still pinned down from attack fire, Starbuck and Anders agree to kill each other to avoid capture and interrment at a [[Farms|farm]]. But the attack stops, and a [[Cavil|man]] appears, praising the [[Lords of Kobol|Gods]] as he announces that the Cylons not only have ceased fire, but are abandoning the Twelve Colonies. Starbuck isn't really surprised to discover that the man, known as Brother Cavil, was a Cylon upon their return to the Fleet.
*Starbuck and Anders proceed to get drunk, and host a disastrous visitation with Lee Adama. This apparently led to a rift between the two comrades.

==Currently...==
[[Image:Karanew.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Kara Thrace one year later]]
In the following year, Thrace marries Anders, and the two move to [[New Caprica City]]. Life on New Caprica tempered Thrace, and she often behaved in ways Starbuck never would have, including hugging Colonel Tigh and pampering Anders during his bout with an illness.

She watches in horror at the sudden arrival of hundreds of Cylon ships in the sky over New Caprica. A few of ''Galactica's'' former crew gather near Thrace, looking to her for guidance. Starbuck responds the only way she knows how: "Fight 'em until we can't" ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]). During the Cylon invasion of [[New Caprica]] a Leoben copy slips into Kara Thrace and Samuel Anders' tent and asks the ailing Anders where Thrace is ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]). It is subsequently revealed that this Conoy kept Kara prisoner in an apartment located within the Cylon complex built in New Caprica City subsequent to the Cylon occupation of New Caprica. ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). Ostensibly, the New Caprica copy of Conoy is attempting to make Kara realize both that she loves him and also convert her to the [[Cylon Religion|Cylon monotheistic religion]]. ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). Kara has assaulted and killed this Conoy at least five times. ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). However, despite repeatedly killing him, she remains imprisoned in Conoy's New Caprica apartment, and Conoy is repeatedly downloaded into new bodies, after which he returns to the apartment and continues his attempts at converting Kara. ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). Most recently, Conoy brought a small child named Kacey (appearing to be approximately two to three years in age) who he claims is Kara's and his child. ([[Precipice]]). Conoy explains that the child was created using one of Kara's ovaries (left undestroyed after it was harvested from her while she was on Caprica) and his genetic material. ([[Precipice]]). Whatever the truth of Kacey's origin, it appears clear that Conoy is using her to break down Kara's resistance, and that he has had at least some success in doing so. ([[Precipice]], [[Exodus, Part I]]).

<div style="clear: both;"></div>

==Notes==
*On the Sci-Fi Channel's preview for season 2.5 (US), Katee Sackoff is quoted as saying that Starbuck is "the best Viper pilot...EVER."
*[[Wikipedia:Thrace|Thrace]] was a region in south-eastern Europe that was heavily influenced by the ancient Greeks and was eventually conquered by [[Wikipedia:Philip_II_of_Macedonia|Phillip II of Macedonia]]. Thracians were considered by most to be the most ferocious fighters and were often highly paid mercenaries for Greek kings.
*After auditioning for the role of [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]], [[Grace Park]] was asked by director [[Michael Rymer]] to audition for the role of Starbuck, and she was actually one of two finalists up for the role (the other being Katee Sackhoff, who got the part). Ultimately Park was cast as [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon "Boomer" Valerri]].
*In a TV Guide [http://online.tvguide.com/newsearch/detail.aspx?id=4371595&sourcetype=S&progseriesparentid=4371595&tvobjectid=191395&keyword=Battlestar+Galactica&referrer=search1 photo shoot] at the BSG studios, Katee Sackhoff explained that the tattoo that Starbuck bears on her left arm is a wing and a circle and has half of the constellation of Capricorn (a reference to [[Caprica]] obviously) and a small symbol of the planet as well. It matches a mirror image of the tattoo on Anders' right arm. When the two of them hold each other with their respective arms crossing, the 2 tattoos come together to form an image of a single ring with 2 wings that is supposed to represent their union. According to Sackhoff, Kara and Anders had the tattoos done around the time of their wedding.
*The license plate on Thrace's truck on Caprica is "FB 42 E3" ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=[[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]|title=Commander, Air Group of the [[Mercury class battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''|after=''(unknown)''}}
{{succession box|before=[[Lee Adama|Lee "Apollo" Adama]]|title=Commander, Air Group of the [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''|after=[[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katriane]]}}
{{end box}}

{{Characters}}

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

Socinus

2006-04-06T04:46:24Z

ViperPilot:

{{Character Data|
|photo= [[Image:Socinus.JPG|200px]]
|age=
|colony= [[Aerelon]]
|birthname= Socinus
|callsign=
|death= On [[Kobol]] ([[Valley of Darkness]])
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status= Single
|role= Viper and Raptor Maintenance, [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''
|rank= Specialist
|actor= Alonso Oyarzun
|cylon=
|name=
}}

Specialist '''Socinus''' is a deckhand aboard [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' assigned to Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]. Near the time of the [[Cylon Attack]] on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]], he is attached to [[Deck Crew 5]], and is responsible for [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] and [[Raptor]] maintenance.

Socinus, [[Prosna]], and [[Cally]] are late in wrapping one the flight deck crew's two surprise gifts for the retiring Commander [[William Adama]]--a photo of young Adama and his two sons, [[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama|Zak]] found by Prosna in the [[Colonial Fleet]] archives. When Adama runs into them as he worked on the decommissioning ceremony speech, Socinus covers up their nervousness in hastily hiding the gift photo by complaining about the leaks they had to patch on the windows that cover the now-pressurized starboard [[flight pod]], which houses a museum of relics from the [[Cylon War]] ([[Miniseries]]).

In the aftermath of [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet's]] escape from [[Ragnar Anchorage]], Socinus appears to be located in a records room on ''Galactica'', tasked with gathering contact information from other crewmembers on the battlestar who hope of gaining any information on loved ones missing in the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|nuclear destruction of the Twelve Colonies]]. When [[Anastasia Dualla]], a citizen from Sagittaron, asks how many others from her colony are identified in the Fleet, Socinus, his voice filled with fatigue, tells the petty officer that there are 5,251 Sagittarons alive, but photos can't be transmitted around the Fleet to aid in locating them yet. He directs her place her photo of her family with his group or in an adjoining hallway-turned-memorial, filled with shrines and pictures of missing or lost friends and family ([[33]]).

In the process of an investigation of a bombing by a copy of [[Aaron Doral]] using stolen ordinance from one of ''Galactica's'' arms lockers, Socinus is charged with "conspiracy and collusion with a Cylon agent" and arrested by [[Hadrian|Master-At-Arms Sergeant Hadrian]]. Aware that Tyrol and Valerii were having intimate relations at the time, Socinus covers for Tyrol and falsely claims that he left open a hatch combing to causeway C and to the arms locker by accident.

It was likely Valerii's sleeper [[Cylon agent|Cylon personality]] that entered through that hatch combing, leaving it open so a copy of [[Aaron Doral]] could gain access to the explosives.

[[William Adama|Commander Adama]] doubts Socinus' actions (being aware of Tyrol and Valerii's relationship). Tyrol confesses to Adama that he was with Valerii at the time of the bombing, with the deck gang covering for him. This did not result in Socinus' release, as he did lie before the tribunal.

Socinus is released on parole for the scout mission to [[Kobol]] ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Pt. I]]) by request of Tyrol due to the extreme short-handedness of experienced crew. He becomes stranded on Kobol with the rest of the survivors of [[Raptor 1]].

Socinus sustains critical injuries including severe smoke inhalation during the crash. He is treated with [[serisone]] to prevent fluid from building up in his lungs. Despite the efforts of [[Tarn]], [[Cally]] and [[Galen Tyrol]], ([[Scattered]]) to acquire another medkit from the crashsite to help keep him alive, Socinus' injuries are too severe. In the end, Tyrol euthanizes Socinus by [[morpha]] overdose to save him from a slow and agonizing death ([[Valley of Darkness]]).

[[Image:Socinus Valleyofdarkness.JPG|thumb|left|Socinus dying on Kobol ([[Valley of Darkness]]).]]

==Notes==

Socinus has the zodiac sign for Aries tatooed on his right arm (deleted scene on season 1 DVD)

{{Characters}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: Characters]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:People from Aerelon]]

Hera Agathon

2006-02-25T23:05:38Z

ViperPilot:

{{Character Data|
|photo=
|age= born [[Timeline (RDM) #Downloaded|9 months after]] the Cylon Attack ([[Downloaded]])
|colony=
|birthname= Hera
|servicen=
|callsign=
|death=
|parents= [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Sharon]] (mother), [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (father)
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=
|role= "Lead the next generation of God's children"
|rank=
|actor=
|cylon= ???
}}

''For information on the Lord of Kobol of the same name, see [[Hera, Lord of Kobol]].''

'''Hera''' is the first sucessful Human/Cylon Hybrid, the culmination of the Cylons' experients to achieve viable procreation. Her parents are the human [[Karl Agathon|Lt. Karl "Helo" Agathon]] of battlestar [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and a [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|copy of the Sharon "Boomer" Valerii]]-model of Cylon who took part in the Cylon experiment to set up Helo into falling in love with and impregnating her. This experiment was conducted because the forced cross-breeding experiments in the Cylon [[Farms]] met with complete failure, and the Cylons theorized that the key element to procreation that they were missing was love (which is very important to them, because the Cylons believe that "God is love"). As a result, Hera is currently the only succesful progeny of a humanoid Cylon, and therefore literally considered a "miracle of God" by the Cylons.

Hera was concieved [[Timeline (RDM)|24 days after the Cylon attack]] on Caprica, in a night of passion after Helo "rescued" Caprica-Sharon from what was really a Cylon trick. Caprica-Sharon was ordered to convince Helo to stay in "hiding" on Caprica, but instead she truly fell in love with Helo and then began helping him to escape the Cylons; Caprica-Sharon switched over the to human's side. After Starbuck arrived on Caprica to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo, she left in captured Heavy Raider along with Helo, and Caprica-Sharon went with them back to ''Galactica'', much to the consternation of many in the Fleet. Caprica-Sharon was held in ''Galactica's'' [[brig]] for the next few months, as her pregnancy continued to advance.

Hera was born by C-section one month premature. Roslin then had Cottle fake her death, telling Helo and Sharon that she was dead then secretly letting a woman named [[Maya]] adopt her, who did not know her true origin, because she was told that Hera was the child of a crew member of the Pegasus, who had given her up for political and religious reasons. This was done so that Hera would be safe from humanoid Cylons hiding in the Fleet by making them think that she had died ([[Downloaded]]).

[[Category:A to Z|Hera]]
[[Category:Characters|hera]]
[[Category:Cylons|Hera]]
[[Category:RDM|Hera]]