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Fall of the Twelve Colonies

2009-01-29T10:49:05Z

Windrider: Copy editing: change some confusing text.

:''This article details the destruction of the Twelve Colonies in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. For information on the fall of the Twelve Colonies in the Original Series, see [[Battle of Cimtar]].''

{{Battle Data
|image=Nukes in Miniseries.jpg
|description=Cylon nuclear bombs detonating on Caprica
|conflict=Second Cylon War
|date=[[Timeline (RDM)|Zero Hour]], concurrent with [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]
|place=[[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] of [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]]
|result=Total Cylon victory, destruction of the Twelve Colonies
|combatant1=[[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] of [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]]
|combatant2=[[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]
|co1=Admiral [[Nagala]] †<br>Commander [[William Adama]]<br>Many other commanders
|co2=[[Basestar command]]
|strength1=Approx. 120 [[Battlestar (RDM)|battlestars]], [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]], [[Raptor|Raptors]], associated support cruisers
|strength2=Massive number of [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]], [[Raider|Raiders]], [[Heavy Raider|Heavy Raiders]]
|shiploss1=Virtual destruction of the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]]
|shiploss2=Unknown, minimal
|casualties1=Destruction of major Colonial cities, almost all of the civilian population and military forces
|casualties2=Unknown, minimal
|prev=First [[Cylon War]]
|next=[[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]
|series=RDM
}}
The '''Fall of the Twelve Colonies''' (also known as the '''Cylon attack''', '''Cylon holocaust''' or '''Second Cylon War''') is a devastating, genocidal attack that re-ignites the conflict between the humans of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies of Kobol]] and their creations, the robotic [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].

The Cylons compromise Colonial defenses by infiltrating their military and civilian society with [[Humanoid Cylon|models that look human]]. [[Caprica-Six|One such Cylon]] seduces the brilliant Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]], fooling him into contract work that gives her access to the [[Colonial Defense Mainframe]]. Her work on the project compromises Baltar's [[Command Navigation Program]], creating countless programmer [[backdoor]]s.

After Baltar's CNP is sufficiently distributed throughout the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]], the Cylons return from their [[Cylon War|forty-year exile]] and launch a devastating attack on the Colonies. The backdoors in the CNP enable the Cylons to use various electronic attacks that completely by-pass Colonial electronic defenses, and inflict varying degrees of damage to Colonial military computers<ref>Contrary to popular opinion, the Cylons did ''not'' transmit a virus through the CNP, but could electronically command any CNP-equipped ship to shut itself down.</ref>.

Viper squadrons experience complete power loss upon engaging the enemy, while battlestars and other support ships suffer an abnormally-high number of "equipment malfunctions" during their engagement of the enemy. This infiltration of Colonial systems - when combined with the "complete surprise" that they achieve - enables the Cylons to sweep the Colonial Fleet aside with minimal losses; a triumph beyond their most optimistic projections ([[Downloaded]]).

[[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Picon|Picon]] [[Fleet Headquarters]] are destroyed in the opening wave of the attack, as are 30 battlestars<ref>According to Kara Thrace in the Miniseries, the number of battlestars lost to this point was "a quarter of the Fleet."</ref>. In response to this, Admiral [[Nagala]] takes command of the Colonial Fleet aboard the battlestar ''[[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]'', and instigates a counter-attack against the enemy. Additionally, the Colonial [[government]] orders a full stop on commercial and civilian space-travel, leaving hundreds of non-military vessels stranded in surrounding space-lanes.

After the devastating assault on Picon, Colonial President [[Richard Adar]] [[Jack|broadcasts an unconditional surrender to the Cylons, but his gesture is completely ignored]]. All senior members of the Colonial government, including Adar, are henceforth presumed killed or missing, and an [[Case Orange|emergency government contingency mechanism]] activates to seek out surviving government officials. The space-bound Secretary of Education [[Laura Roslin]] is the only one to acknowledge this beacon. Sworn in on the government-chartered passenger liner ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'', she becomes the new President of the Twelve Colonies.

While this exchange of power is taking place, the Cylons proceed to destroy each Colony's population and strategic centers by means of nuclear bombardment. One of the targets - [[Caprica City]] - is annihilated in a 50 megaton nuclear detonation. However, not [[Unnamed cities of Caprica|every city on Caprica]] is destroyed in the attack; much of [[Delphi]] remains intact and is occupied by Cylon ground forces a short time later ([[Bastille Day]]).

Battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', approximately 300 million miles from Caprica<ref>See [[Science in the Re-imagined Series]] for this calculation, based on data from the Miniseries.</ref>, is unaffected by the Cylons' computer infiltration as its computer systems were never networked or updated with the compromised CNP. This anti-infiltration policy, used in the First Cylon War, was maintained by all of ''Galactica's'' commanders, including [[William Adama]], through peacetime and despite advances in Colonial technology.

With the primary fight against the Cylons centering around the orbit of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Virgon|Virgon]] (as determined by a tactical plot of all ships in the solar system by Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]]), ''Galactica'' prepares itself for a confrontation despite the fact that the ship is unarmed, having destroyed all large munitions as part of its decommissioning ceremony<ref>This event occurs in a deleted scene of the Miniseries.</ref>. To complicate matters further, the battlestar has plenty of pilots, but hardly any Vipers left to fly; its last [[Viper Mark VII]] squadron was destroyed in a Cylon attack shortly after the decommissioning ceremony.

Fortunately, the battlestar holds 40 [[Viper Mark II]]s on board as part of its [[Galactica Museum|expected conversion into a museum]]. These Vipers are of an old but robust design resistant to Cylon infiltration; many on-board instruments are analog and were never equipped to use the Command Navigation Program that dooms newer Colonial fighters.

''Galactica'' arms and deploys these old Vipers, repelling several attacking [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raider]]s in its first sortie of the new war. Unable to return fire, the battlestar survives a direct hit from a Raider-launched tactical nuclear missile. However, 85 crew members are lost when damage to the fire suppression system necessitates the venting of the port [[flight pod]]'s atmosphere to prevent the fuel lines from igniting, thus preventing the destruction of the ship.

After the skirmish, ''Galactica'' receives word that ''Atlantia'' has been lost in the counter-offensive against the Cylons. Numerous additional battlestars have been destroyed as well. Commander Adama takes command of the Colonial Fleet, and sends a [[wireless]] transmission to any surviving forces to rendezvous at [[Ragnar Anchorage]], a munitions depot that carries desperately needed ordnance for ''Galactica's'' point-defense batteries and fighters. It is from Ragnar Anchorage that they will commence a second counter-attack against the Cylons. ''Galactica'' successfully [[FTL|jumps]] to Ragnar, skipping past the bulk of the enemy fleet that stands in her way.

Meanwhile, President Roslin begins clustering stranded Colonial vessels and forms a fleet. Roslin's efforts retrieve at least three Mark VII Vipers and find Lt. [[Sharon Valerii|Sharon "Boomer" Valerii]] (the only survivor of ''Galactica's'' compromised Mark VII fighter squadron) and her [[Raptor]]. Boomer successfully locates additional civilian craft before a scouting Raider finds the convoy. Fearing imminent attack but unable to rescue any passengers from the convoy's [[Sublight Propulsion|sublight]] ships in time, Roslin orders the FTL-capable ships to jump to Ragnar, where a re-armed ''Galactica'' can protect them. Shortly after, the defenseless sublight ships and their passengers are destroyed by a Raider squadron.

== Aftermath ==
Few Colonials survive this holocaust and many that do are captured by Cylons for [[farms|experimentation]] ([[The Farm]]). On Caprica, [[Samuel Anders]] and the [[Caprica Buccaneers]] escape the devastation while in high altitude training in the mountains at the time of the attack. Together with other survivors, they later form a [[Caprica Resistance|resistance]] against the Cylons.

Additionally, ''Galactica'' is not the only battlestar to endure the attack. An [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards|attack at the Fleet Shipyards]] at Scorpia destroys several battlestars, but ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', only partially operational at the time, manages to escape by doing a blind jump. However, ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' remain unaware of one another's fate until [[Pegasus (episode)|months later]].

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

{{Battles (RDM)}}

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[[de:Fall der Zwölf Kolonien]]
[[zh:拾贰殖民地的陷落]]

{{featured article candidate previous}}

Jurgen Belzen

2009-01-29T10:39:10Z

Windrider: Minor copy editing and clarifications.

{{Character Data
|photo= Jurgen belzen.jpg
| colony = [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenon]]
| death= Shot by Admiral Cain for questioning her orders
| role= Executive officer of ''[[Pegasus]]''
| children = At least two daughters
| marital status = Wife [[Rika Belzen]]
| rank= Colonel
| serial=635440<ref>This information comes from his [[:Image:Belzen's dogtag serial.jpg|dogtags]].</ref>
| actor= [[Steve Bacic]]
}}

'''Jurgen Belzen''' was Admiral [[Helena Cain]]'s long-time executive officer on ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' and close friends with her.

When the battlestar puts in for a lengthy overhaul at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]], he plans to go paragliding on [[Scorpia]]. After the [[Cylon attack]] on the Twelve Colonies ''Pegasus'' conducts an [[Battle of the Communications Relay|attack]] on what is believed to be a small Cylon communications relay, but turns out to be a large staging area. When the Cylons jump in 15 squadrons of Raiders to close an apparent trap, Cain orders to launch all remaining Viper squadrons. Not wanting to waste their outnumbered Vipers, Belzen urges Cain to reconsider and recall the first squadron and order a retreat. Cain views his persistence and official refusal to carry out her order as insubordination, asks for his sidearm and shoots him in the head with it in front of the entire [[CIC]] crew. ''Pegasus'' eventually wins the battle, but with staggering losses.

These events are later told to Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] by Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]]. Although Fisk later says that he has been lying, Tigh remains convinced that he has been telling the truth ("[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]", "[[Razor]]").

== Notes ==
* Although Fisk laughs his claims off as a joke in the episode "Pegasus", Ronald D. Moore said in a [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2006/09/#a001323 blog entry] that all of it is in fact true. The events are later depicted, and thus confirmed, in "Razor".
* His first name should be written "Jürgen" or "Juergen", but it is not unusual to drop diacritical marks in English as the the name is pronounced with a "u" in it.

== References ==

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

{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=''(unknown)''|title=Executive Officer, ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]|after=[[Jack Fisk]]}}
{{end box}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belzen, Jurgen}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
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Helena Cain

2009-01-29T10:34:52Z

Windrider: Copy editing: removing needless words, adding clarifications

:''For information on this character's [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] counterpart, see [[Cain (TOS)]].

{{Character Data
|photo=CainH.jpg
|age=49-50<ref>According to the script for "[[Razor]]", young Helena Cain was nine years old at the time of the [[Battle of Tauron]]. See: [[Sources: Helena Cain]].</ref>
|colony=[[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]]
|birthname=Helena Cain
|callsign=
|seen= Pegasus (episode)
|pseen=Pegasus
|death= Shot by [[Gina Inviere]] aboard ''Pegasus'', in Cain's quarters ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).
|parents= [[Saundra Cain|Mother]] and [[Cain (father)|father]] killed in the first [[Cylon War]] <ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>
|siblings= [[Lucy Cain]]† (killed in the first Cylon War)
|children=
|marital status= Previous relationship with Gina Inviere
|role=Commanding Officer, [[Mercury class battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''
|rank=Rear Admiral
|actor=[[Michelle Forbes]]<br/> [[Kyra Scott]] (young Cain)
|serial=866931<ref>Serial number is from [[:Image:Cain's dogtag serial.jpg|her dogtags]].</ref>
|cylon=
|name=
}}
Admiral '''Helena Cain''' hails from the colony [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]], and is the commanding officer of the [[Mercury class battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' at the time of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. She is a hard woman, unafraid of making difficult decisions and unflinching in her will to do what she sees as right. These traits sometimes compel her to feel that she has been left no choice but to take controversial, unpopular and morally questionable choices.

==Biography==
===Childhood===
Helena Cain was born during the first [[Cylon War]]. On the last day of the war, Tauron was under attack by Cylon [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] and [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] ground forces. Her sister [[Lucy Cain]] and her [[Cain (father)|father]] were pinned down in a building under heavy fire. When her father was injured trying to escape, he told Helena to get Lucy to a shelter, before dying. The two made it out of the building, but outside Helena panicked, left Lucy in a field of rubble and ran away to hide in a container. When Cain came out again after the Cylons retreated, she found only her sister's doll on the ground ("[[Razor]]", extended version). These traumatic events were formative for her future.

===Cylon attack and guerrilla warfare===

[[Image:Cain and gina.jpg|thumb|right|Cain dining with [[Gina Inviere]].]]

When ''Pegasus'' is scheduled for an extensive overhaul at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]], Cain has regular meetings with [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian contractor working for the [[Ministry of Defense]], to work out the details of the retrofit. The two eventually become romantically involved.

Shortly before the [[Cylon attack]], Lieutenant [[Kendra Shaw]] is assigned to the battlestar as Cain's personal aide. When the lieutenant fails to make it to [[CIC]] immediately after her arrival, Cain chews her out in front of the crew, but breaks into laughter after Shaw leaves, showing that she isn't always as hard as she appears to be.

When the Cylons [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards|attack the shipyards]], Cain is in her quarters, working out and going over efficiency reports. She makes it to CIC and immediately orders the battlestar unmoored. When the navigational computer is discovered to be offline and nuclear missiles are inbound, Cain orders a [[blind jump]] to escape certain destruction. With many of her crew dead and the destruction of the Twelve Colonies confirmed, she holds a speech vowing to take revenge on the Cylons. However, in a private dinner with her XO [[Jurgen Belzen]], [[Jack Fisk]], Inviere and Shaw, she promises that she has no intention to unnecessarily waste lives or resources in an emotional quest for revenge.

Shortly later, a Cylon communications relay is detected, which the crew believes to be an easy target. On arrival, one squadron of Vipers is launched. However, 15 squadrons of [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s suddenly appear because, it turns out, the target is actually a Cylon staging area. XO Belzen urges Cain to recover their Vipers and retreat, but instead she seemingly forgets her earlier promise and orders the launch of all remaining fighters, which Belzen refuses to do in the face of such odds. Cain asks the XO for his side arm, and shoots him in the head with it in front of the crew. She then turned to Fisk, promotes him to XO, and orders him to launch the rest of the Vipers. Fearing for his life, he does so. At the same time, Inviere disables the main gun batteries and allows a group of [[Cylon Centurion]]s to board the ship, causing many deaths. Shaw reveals her as a Cylon agent in CIC and Cain orders her arrest. ''Pegasus'' manages to win the [[Battle of the Communications Relay|battle]], but with staggering losses.

Cain is deeply stung by Inviere's betrayal, her feelings toward her erstwhile lover turned into hatred and scorn. Cain gives [[Alastair Thorne]] free rein in interrogating the Cylon for information, suggesting "pain ... degradation, fear, shame." This sets the tone for the interrogations, ultimately leading to measures such as gang rape.

When ''Pegasus'' happens upon a small civilian fleet, Admiral Cain decides to strip it of resources and personnel, including their FTL drives. The civilians, however, refuse the cooperate. Resistance is particularly vocal on the ''[[Scylla]]''. When a boarding team led by Shaw and Fisk fails to make the civilians cooperate, Cain orders the team to shoot the families of every conscript who refuses to obey. Shaw fires the first shot and eventually 10 people are killed, thus breaking the resistance. Cain is very impressed by Shaw's actions in the civilian standoff and promotes her to the rank of captain, explaining that Shaw has the qualities of a "razor"; someone who is able to shut down all emotions and inhibitions in battle in order to survive.

Despite the impossible odds, Cain intends to sustain a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the occupying Cylon forces. She then led the battlestar away from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]], following a Cylon fleet that trails what they discovered as the fellow battlestar ''[[Galactica]]'' ("[[Razor]]", "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]").

===Galactica===
Upon meeting up with Commander [[William Adama]]'s [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] six months later, she as ramking officer assumes command and transfers personnel from ''Galactica'' to ''Pegasus'', including [[Lee Adama]] and [[Kara Thrace]], indicating that Adama has let military discipline become too lax. Cain is more interested in fighting the Cylons, seemingly oblivious to the point that she and the ships around her are all that was left of the human race, whose survival is more paramount than offensive assaults. While Adama initially welcomes such attacks against a mysterious Cylon force that followed the Fleet (to stop it from following them), his attitude begins to cool about Cain's very strict and unmerciful leadership.
[[image:caingalact.jpg|left|Admiral Cain, meeting up with the crew of ''Galactica''.|thumb]]

Cain's actions also raise concerns with President [[Laura Roslin]]. Cain recognizes Roslin and her former role as Secretary of Education. After the Fleet command transfer from Adama to Cain, Roslin makes several attempts to call Cain to request supplies for the civilian fleet, but all of Roslin's calls are ignored.

===Court-martial, standoff===
After the suspect fatal assault of one of her crew members, Lieutenant Thorne, Cain arrests Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] and Lieutenant [[Karl Agathon]] and has them flown to ''Pegasus'', under Adama's protest, since traditionally a trial is held on the ship where an incident has occurred. Cain uses ''Galactica'''s log against Adama when he asks for a tribunal; Cain notes that Adama dismissed the last council unilaterally when the verdict did not suit him. Cain summarily court-martials the prisoners herself in a matter of hours, sentencing them to death. A displeased Commander Adama orders an assault crew to ''Pegasus'' to bring his men back. Cain responds by deploying her squadrons of advanced Viper Mark VIIs against Adama's museum collection of Viper Mark IIs in a tense standoff ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).

The tense game of chicken is ended by a sudden appearance by Starbuck, flying the [[Blackbird]] as she returns from her unofficial recon mission on the unknown Cylon ship. Starbuck transmits the pictures she took of the [[Resurrection Ship]] back to ''Pegasus'''s CIC. Upon Thrace's return to ''Pegasus'', Cain is so impressed with her performance that she promotes Thrace to Captain and ''Pegasus'' [[CAG]], replacing the competent but uncreative and inflexible Captain [[Cole Taylor|Taylor]]. Cain tasks Starbuck with planning the joint strike on the Resurrection Ship.

===Attack on the Resurrection Ship, and assassination===
[[Image:Gina-Cain.jpg|thumb|Admiral Cain held at gun-point by [[Gina Inviere|her Cylon prisoner]].]]

After Captain Thrace briefs both Adama, Apollo, and Cain on her plan to attack the Resurrection Ship, Adama pulls Starbuck aside and outlines a plan to assassinate Cain following the attack. At the same time, Cain instructs [[Jack Fisk]] to lead a detachment of marines to "terminate Adama's command" after the battle ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).

When the moment arrives, both commanders decide to not say the code words signaling their execution orders. This leaves Thrace and Fisk visibly relieved. Cain survives Adama's plan, ironically, because Adama solicits advice from [[Sharon Agathon|the second copy of Sharon Valerii]], who reminds him of his decommissioning speech that asked whether humanity asked itself if it deserved to survive ([[Miniseries]]). That is, an assassination Cain by Adama would be a good example of why humanity deserved to be exterminated. Although it may have been due to realizing Adama's value as a commander during the battle, the reasons for Cain staying her hand were never revealed, and remain a topic of debate among fans.

Unfortunately for Cain, shortly after Adama's window to assassinate Cain had passed, [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] helps Inviere escape from the brig. Inviere makes her way to Cain's quarters and shoots Cain at point blank range. A soldier to the last, Cain's final words are "[[Frak]] you."

Cain's funeral is given full military honors, with Fisk and Thrace giving eulogies. Though Thrace only knew Cain briefly, she obviously admired the woman, stating "We were safer with her than we are without." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]). Several months later, Adama tells his son that he can't find any faults in Cain's tactical decisions, and refuses to pass judgment on her, because he has people to keep him in check when he is in danger of going down a similar path, and never had to go through Cain's situation in the first place ([[Razor]]).

== Notes ==

{{sourcebox}}

=== Original Series nods ===

*Helena Cain is inspired by the character of Commander [[Cain (TOS)|Cain]] from the original ''[[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', portrayed by the late [[Lloyd Bridges]].

*Unlike Commander Cain in the Original Series, Admiral Cain is a superior officer to Commander William Adama. The Original Series's Adama held a higher rank than Cain, and relieved him of command for a time in the two part episode, "[[The Living Legend, Part I|The Living Legend]]".

=== Behind-the-Scenes ===

*Actress Michelle Forbes said on her character, "She’s lost perspective. People ask, ‘Is she insane? Is she psychotic?’ I hope that’s not how she came across because that was never the intention. I think some individuals can appear to be that way, but this is a woman who did what she had to do in order to survive during some very brutal conflicts. Along the way, Cain lost her sense of judgment as well as her sense of reason and rationale. That was all very interesting for me to play. Usually in TV you’re given one characteristic and you dare not stray from that, so it was neat to have such a difficult, fascinating woman to play. In "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I|Resurrection Ship]]" it really comes to light the path of sadism that these people have gone down and we’re fully able to see exactly what happened to this group aboard the Pegasus. There were some pretty difficult choices they had to make, too, in regard to the Cylon prisoner Gina and that whole dynamic." [http://www.greatlink.org/dcisV2.asp?url=http://www.greatlink.org/shownewsitem.asp?item=5201]

*Forbes guest starred as Dara Timicin in the ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "[[MemoryAlpha:Half a Life|Half a Life]]" and had a recurring role as Ensign [[MemoryAlpha:Ro Laren|Ro Laren]] during the last three seasons of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''. ''Battlestar Galactica'' executive producer [[Ronald D. Moore]], also a ''TNG'' veteran, wrote for her character in the episodes "[[MemoryAlpha:Disaster|Disaster]]" and "[[MemoryAlpha:The Next Phase|The Next Phase]]".

=== Production ===

*Cain's given name, Helena, was not spoken in dialogue initially, but was posted in episode summaries on Scifi.com (initially misspelled as "Nelena"). Her name is first spoken by Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] in "[[Razor]]".

*Cain's habit of expediting meetings by conducting them without chairs is borrowed from UN Ambassador [[Wikipedia:John R. Bolton|John R. Bolton]] (Source: [[Podcast:Pegasus#Act 2|Podcast:Pegasus]]). Within the show, the lack of chairs is said to stem from her preference to stand because of her back problems ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).

=== Separate continuity ===

* In [[Dynamite Entertainment]]'s [[comic]] books, Helena Cain and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' make a one-shot appearance in ''[[Battlestar Galactica: Pegasus]]'', and she is mentioned again in ''[[Battlestar Galactica: Origins 6]]''. In ''Origins 6'', Captain [[Alexa Cain|Alexa "Pugnacious" Cain]] is noted as Helena's mother, who had divorced her husband well before the [[Battle of Tauron]]—the last battle of the First Cylon War. However, "Razor" makes it clear that Helena's mother was named "[[Saundra Cain|Saundra]]", and that she was on [[Hypatia]], [[Tauron]] at the time of that last battle, which is when she died.

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

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William Adama

2009-01-29T10:01:05Z

Windrider: replaced "heavily understaffed" (which reads oddly to me) with "skeleton crew"; replaced "Tigh" with "Ellen"

:''For information on William Adama's [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Original Series]] counterpart, see [[Adama (TOS)]].''
:''For other people with the shortened version of William, see: [[Bill (disambiguation)]].''

{{Character Data
|photo=William Adama.jpg
|age=
|colony= [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]]
|birthname= William Adama
|callsign= Husker
|nickname= The Old Man, Bill, Billy<ref>The only known instance of Adama being called "Billy" is by [[Jaycie McGavin]] in the "[[Razor Flashbacks]]". Otherwise, he is more often than not referred to as "Bill" or "The Old Man" by his friends and the crew under him, respectively.</ref>
|seen= Miniseries
|death=
|parents= [[Joseph Adama]] (father)<br/>[[Evelyn Adama]] (mother)
|siblings= 
|children= [[Lee Adama]] <br/> [[Zak Adama]] †
|marital status= Divorced ([[Carolanne Adama]])
|familytree=Y
|role=Commanding Officer, [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]''<br/>Military leader of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian Fleet]]
|rank=Rear Admiral
|serial=204971<ref>This information is from his [[:Image:Bill Adama's dogtag serial.jpg|dogtags]].</ref>
|cylon=
|actor=[[Edward James Olmos]]<br/>[[Nico Cortez]] ([[Razor]])<br>[[Sina Najafi]] (''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'')
|sepcon=Y
}}

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 H5/21290 on Caprica, the son of [[Joseph Adama]] and [[Evelyn Adama]] and raised in [[Qualai]], a small coastal community ([[Hero]]). His father was a [[Tauron (RDM)|Tauron]] immigrant and an attorney specializing in criminal defense and civil liberties ("[[Litmus]]", "Hero"). His mother was an accountant (Hero). {{spoilli|His mother, as well as his sister, [[Tamara Adama|Tamara]], died in a suicide bombing when he was a child<ref>[http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/04/03/exclusive-caprica-casting-info-revealed/ Caprica casting info]</ref>.}} He was still in school when the First [[Cylon War]] started ([[Razor Flashbacks]], Episode 1). During his childhood, he was considered small for his age and would often be beaten by his peers ([[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)/Season 3#99|deleted scene]], "[[Exodus, Part II]]"). Because of anti-Tauron prejudice, Adama's father assumed the more Caprican-sounding surname Adams, but eventually the family reverted to the original Tauron name.
*Adama served late in the [[Cylon War]] as both a [[Raptor]] and [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot, his first assignment being on ''[[Galactica (TOS)|Galactica]]''. His first mission behind enemy lines was in a Raptor undergoing an unknown mission ("[[Razor Flashbacks]]", Episode 1; "[[Sine Qua Non]]"). He allegedly gained the call sign of "Husker"<ref>Adama's callsign is misspelled as "Husher" in the [[Battlestar Galactica (2005 Novel)|Miniseries novelization]].</ref> on account of his baritone "graveled" voice. During his time on ''Galactica'', he had a romantic relationship with [[Jaycie McGavin]] ([[Razor Flashbacks]], Episode 1). He proved a gifted pilot, shooting down his first [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] on his very first combat mission, for which he received a commendation.
*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]] a dangerous Cylon tactic that tried to turn the battlestar's power against itself ([[Scattered]], deleted scene).
[[Image:Adama freighter.jpg|thumb|left|Adama aboard an inter-colony tramp freighter ([[Scattered]]).]]
*Furloughed by [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] after the war's end, Adama found work as a deck hand on a merchant fleet civilian freighter, where he met [[Saul Tigh]], who became a long-time friend.
*Adama married [[Carolanne Adama]], whose family had political influence with the defense subcommittee and pulled to get Adama reinstated to the Colonial Fleet. Adama (now a major) himself arranged for Tigh's reinstatement two years later.
*William and Carolanne Adama 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 divorced.
*While elder son Lee 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 his poor flight skills. Later, Zak Adama was killed in an operational flight. Zak's death would cause a rift between Commander Adama and his older son for nearly [[Act of Contrition|three years]] until Thrace admits her error to both of them.
[[Image:Young Adama.jpg|thumb|right|180px|William Adama during the first Cylon War ([[Razor]]).]]
[[Image:Youngadamafamily.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A somewhat older William Adama and his two sons.]]
*Adama rose through the ranks of the peacetime fleet, becoming the executive officer of the battlestar ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]'', before becoming the commander of the battlestar ''[[Valkyrie]]''. About six years <ref name="hero">While dialogue from "[[Hero]]" places these events at 1 BCH, this contradicts previously established dates about the time Adama and others served on ''Galactica''. See [[Hero#Analysis]] for a detailed explanation why ''Battlestar Wiki'' chooses to treat this as a continuity error.</ref> prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]], he was ordered by Admiral [[Peter Corman]] to escort a [[Stealthstar|stealth scout ship]] over the [[Armistice Line]]. The mission was a failure, and in an attempt to cover up, he ordered the ship and its pilot shot down. Ever since, he had felt guilt, both over shooting down his own pilot and over the possibility that his actions resulted in the holocaust. According to Tigh, this mission brought his star into descent, and he was given command of ''Galactica'' as a graceful way of easing into retirement.
*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 stubbornness to save Kara Thrace ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]), Adama shows a dogged determination that few others care to confront.
*Adama is an atheist who does not share in the majority of Colonial religious beliefs. He denies the existence of the gods, although he has come to accept that his people's scripture may have relevance to the search for Earth.
*Several notable assignments and reassignments during his 45-year career in the Colonial Fleet ([[Hero]]):
**D6/21311 - First commission: battlestar ''Galactica'' fighter squadron
**E4/21312 - Commendation for shooting down Cylon fighter in first combat mission
**D5/21314 - Mustered out of service post-armistice
**R6/21317 - Served as deckhand in merchant fleet and as common [...] aboard inter-colony tramp freighters
**D1/21331 - Recommissioned to Fleet
**D6/21337 - Major: battlestar ''[[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]''
**R8/21341 - Executive Officer: battlestar ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]''
**C2/21345 - Commander: battlestar ''[[Valkyrie]]''
**C2/21348 - Commander: battlestar ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== 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 is 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]].
[[image:Mini_Adama_Tigh_DRADIS.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Commander Adama and Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] plot a course to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] in the [[Miniseries]].]]
*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 ex-wife in Caprica City, he unhesitatingly takes control of the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] after [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Picon|Picon]] Fleet Headquarters is destroyed and Admiral [[Nagala]] is killed.
*At Ragnar Anchorage, Adama deduces that [[Number Two|Leoben Conoy]]'s "allergies" are really the effect of Ragnar's cloud's electro-magnetic radiation upon the silica pathways composing a Cylon brain, despite the fact that the existence of [[Humanoid Cylon|biological Cylons]] is unknown to humans at that time. <ref>See [[Miniseries, Analysis#Commander William Adama|Miniseries, Analysis]] for hypotheses concerning Adama's curious ability to quickly deduce Conoy's real nature.</ref>
*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 [[humanoid Cylon]]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.
[[Image:Attack adama.jpg|thumb|right|Adama seconds after having been shot ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]).]]
*[[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 Adama paints a model boat while talking to [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] ([[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 ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]). Despite his "gut" feelings about the Cylon, he finds common ground often with her, even apologizing to her after a distasteful incident ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
*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 ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*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 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 ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).
*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 ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).

== New Caprica and beyond ==

*A year later, Adama commands ''Galactica'' manned by a skeleton crew 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 feel lonely in command after he allowed many people close to him to settle on the planet despite his initial refusal. Eventually he grants [[Saul Tigh]] leave to take his wife [[Ellen Tigh|Ellen]] and go as well. His friendship to [[Laura Roslin]] appears to have deepened and the two share a carefree day during celebrations on the planet ("[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]", "[[Unfinished Business]]").
*During the year in orbit, he mends fences with [[Sharon Agathon]]. Although he valued her advise earlier, he called her a "thing" and treated her such. While becoming estranged from the people around him, Adama grows much closer to Agathon, having personal conversations with her and he allowing her to decorate her cell with chairs, tables and other amenities and she has apparently become an advisor of sorts to him ([[Precipice]]).
*Not long after Tigh leaves, a massive Cylon fleet bears down on New Caprica. After a brief discussion with his son aboard ''Pegasus'' they order the understaffed 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."
[[Image:Adama being carried Exodus-Pt-II.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Adama being carried by crew and civilians after the [[Battle of New Caprica]] (mid left).]]
* Frustrations over the lack of a plan and problems during exercises lead to a conflict with [[Lee Adama|his son]] whom he attacks over his weight gain and perceived softness. While Lee is pragmatic and doesn't believe that they can rescue the people on New Caprica in their state, his father drives everyone to their limit, thinking it is his misjudgments that brought them into the situation.
*He only forgives himself for leaving almost everyone behind after a conversation with Agathon, where she explains that, after being through so much herself, she discovered that she first had to forgive herself in order to get through it. In her opinion, the human race can't survive if Adama can't forgive himself.
*He commissions Agathon as a Colonial officer shortly after making contact with the [[New Caprica Resistance]], showing complete trust in her. She asks how he knows that she won't betray him and he replies he doesn't, stating "that's what trust is". Eventually a rescue plan takes shape, but Adama decides to go to New Caprica alone, ordering his son to take over as guardian of the Fleet should he not return. Despite their differences of opinion, the two have a heartfelt goodbye.
*Although sustaining losses, and with the last-minute assistance of Lee and ''Pegasus'', Adama is able to successfully pull off the rescue attempt. He is lauded by his crew and the civilians for this. He also shaves off his mustache, signifying a new beginning ("[[Occupation]]" through "[[Exodus, Part II]]").
*Adama is awarded the [[Medal of Distinction]] for his 45 years of distinctive service in the Colonial Fleet. To him this is a penance for the harm that he caused in the past, and his belief that he might have been the cause of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] ([[Hero]]).
*In an effort to alleviate tensions on ''Galactica'', Adama holds a boxing tournament, disregarding rank, allowing people to work out built up frustrations. He himself joins the festivities by challenging Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]. Beaten, he declares that he let everyone too close to him, which ultimately led to the fracturing of their family on New Caprica, and vows to not make that mistake again ([[Unfinished Business]]).
*After the discovery of the [[Temple of Five]] on the [[algae planet]], four Cylon [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] jump into orbit. A meeting with the Cylons occurs on ''Galactica'', but Adama threatens to nuke the planet should the Cylons make a claim to it. A standoff occurs, and when the Cylons try to launch six Heavy Raiders, Adama orders the arming the ship's [[missile tubes]]. This frightens the Cylons, who recall five of the six and Adama orders a stand down ("[[The Eye of Jupiter]]", "[[Rapture]]").
*With the capture of [[Gaius Baltar]], Adama and President Roslin are faced with a dilemma of what to do with Baltar. They try various methods of interrogation, including food and sleep deprivation, threats, and even an [[interrogation drug]], to find out what the Cylons know about the location of Earth. Adama apparently has previous experience with the drug and, after suggesting its use, acts as the interrogator, showing his darker side ([[Taking a Break From All Your Worries]]).
*On his wedding anniversary, Adama is plagued by memories of his [[Carolanne Adama|ex-wife]]. He wonders about the nature of his relationship to Roslin, not admitting that it could turn into a romantic one. He is also unsure how to treat his son, having a hard time telling him his personal feelings: "proud, stubborn and angry", but "coming into his own". While loving his son, he prefers to interact with him as an admiral to a subordinate officer, believing Lee knows how he feels. Upon Roslin's recommendations, he offers his son to organize Baltar's upcoming trial. Although not sure if Lee will have the time, he gives him [[Joseph Adama]]'s old [[Arts and Literature of the Twelve Colonies#Law books|law books]]. It is also revealed that Adama does memory exercises to enable him to know everyone on his crew by name ([[A Day in the Life]]).

== Post-"Maelstrom" and the final leg of the journey to Earth ==

* By chance, Adama is selected to be a judge at the trial. Two weeks after [[Kara Thrace]]'s [[Maelstrom|death]] he is still distraught, having considered her as a daughter. In anger, he breaks his model ship. Adama places [[Lee Adama|Lee]] in charge of security for [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]]'s new lawyer, [[Romo Lampkin]], but Lee develops a desire to actively help defend Baltar much to Adama's outrage. The two also come to blows over their dealing with Thrace's loss ([[The Son Also Rises]]). This ultimately results in a break between the father and son, with Lee resigning his commissioning and Adama questioning his son's integrity after Lee contributed to humiliating his friend [[Saul Tigh]] in court, not able to understand how he could do such things in order to defend a traitor, whom he believes is undeserving of a trial ([[Crossroads, Part I]]).
*Adama reconsiders his relationship with his son after Lee's [[Crossroads, Part II#Noteworthy Dialogue|impassioned speech]] about justice, itself swaying his vote in favor of an acquittal of Baltar. He is further pleased that his son participated in the [[Battle of the Ionian Nebula]], offering him his wings back, which Lee refuses as he believes that he can do better in his new role as the new [[Quorum of Twelve (RDM)|Quorum]] delegate from [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] ("[[Crossroads, Part II]]", "[[He That Believeth In Me]]").
* Adama comforts Laura Roslin throughout her [[Doloxan]] treatments on ''Galactica''. The two bond further and share some of their most intimate thoughts. During this, Roslin manages to convince Adama that they will truly find Earth despite his earlier skepticism. Roslin's remarks that Adama is afraid to lose people close to him hit a mark, and he gives Thrace command of the ''[[Demetrius]]'' on a mission to search for Earth. He wants to believe in her despite serious questions regarding her sudden resurrection, even after her attack on Roslin ("He That Believeth In Me", "[[Six of One]]").
*Adama and Roslin later discuss Lee's choices, including his decision to support the right of Baltar's [[Cult of Baltar|cult]] to assemble without stricture. Adama seems to appreciate his son's idealism to a certain extent, despite having been on its opposing side several times. He also attempts to comfort Galen Tyrol after Cally's sudden death, but Tyrol rejects the efforts and Adama demotes him to specialist before Tyrol can endanger any other pilots ([[Escape Velocity]]).
* While Roslin continues her Doloxan treatments aboard ship, he continues to comfort her by reading various books, including ''[[Searider Falcon]]'', to her and generally being present to discuss matters of faith. He later admits to her that she is the reason why he has faith in their mission to find Earth ("Escape Velocity", "[[Faith]]").
[[Image:410 Adama sees the Fleet off.jpg|thumb|William Adama sees the Fleet off.]]
* After Roslin's abrupt abduction by the rebel Cylon baseship, as well as [[Sharon Agathon]]'s murder of [[Natalie]] ([[Guess What's Coming to Dinner?]]), he initiates a search for Roslin while ignoring the Fleet's safety and interests. His dismissal of both the Quorum and [[Tom Zarek]] raise tensions in the Fleet that force his son to search for—and become—the interim president in Roslin's place. Further, tensions between Adama and Tigh to boil, notably after [[Cottle]] reports that [[Caprica-Six]] is impregnated by Tigh. The two come to blows over their decisions regarding the women currently in their lives. Adama admits that he can't live without Roslin and decides to stay behind in a Raptor to wait for Roslin's return. As a result, he hands command of the Fleet over to newly-promoted Admiral Tigh, acknowledging that Tigh has become more knowledgeable about himself and is not the same man who commanded the Fleet disastrously over two years ago ([[Sine Qua Non]]). After reconnecting with the missing basestar and reuniting with President Roslin on the hangar deck of the basestar, she finally admits having feelings for him, to which he replies "About time" ([[The Hub]]).
*When [[Saul Tigh]] confesses that he is a Cylon, Adama doesn't take it well. He can't believe that his decades-long friend is a Cylon and thinks that he was brainwashed on New Caprica. After ordering Marines to arrest Tigh, Adama breaks down in his quarters, hitting a mirror with his fist and sobbing on the floor. His son finds him in this state and tries to get him to pull himself together. After Lee Adama defuses the following crisis with the [[Cylon Civil War|Cylon rebels]], Adama has sufficiently recovered to lead the Fleet on its final jump to Earth, holding a rousing speech after the arrival ([[Revelations]]).

== Family tree ==
{{Adama Family Tree (RDM)}}

==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.
*The Greek word ''adamas'' (αδάμας) means invincible and is the etymological root of the word ''diamond''. It seems a suitable choice as the surname of the various related characters in this series as it relates to their personality traits.
*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 [[w:List of minor characters in Blade Runner#Gaff|Gaff]] in the classic science fiction film ''[[w:Blade Runner|Blade Runner]]''. Olmos also shares with ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' star [[MemoryAlpha:William Shatner|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 (''[[w:Miami Vice|Miami Vice]]'' for Olmos, ''[[w:T.J. Hooker|T.J. Hooker]]'' for Shatner).
*Edward James Olmos is the father of actor [[Bodie Olmos]], who plays [[Brendan Costanza]].

==References==
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Gravity in the Re-imagined Series

2008-11-09T04:14:55Z

Windrider: Fix typos

{{RDM science series}}

:''Much of the information on this page was derived from the Wikipedia article on [[w:Artificial gravity|artificial gravity]].''

[[Image:Synthgravity1.jpg|right|thumb|Throwaway graphics in the upper right corner of this computer display shows terms relating to the artificial gravity in a [[Raptor]].]]
While the use of artificial gravity in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] is obvious, there are only two explicit references. One is from the few close-ups of [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series|computer]] displays, where the terms "gravity control" and "synthetic gravity" are shown (upper right corner of the picture to the right). The second is [[Margaret Edmondson]] mentioning that the "grav field" is deactivated when she boards a drifting Raptor in the episode "[[Sine Qua Non]]".

Real-world scientific theories present several potential means of simulating or producing gravitational effects:

* ''Rotation of the spacecraft'' to generate centrifugal forces within a spacecraft.
:This motion would push objects and people in the ship outward, so the outside skin of the ship would act as the "floor". This was done in the movie ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' (the crew compartment inside the ''Discovery'' spun) and the TV show ''[[w:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]'' (the cylindrical space station spun on its longitudinal axis). One of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]'s ships in fact sometimes uses this form of artificial gravity: the ''[[Space Park]]''. Viewers can get a good view of this ship in motion when the Fleet leaves [[Ragnar Anchorage]] in the Miniseries. It's specified that the ship's design dates from a period when centrifugal force was the main artificial-gravity solution in place, before whatever current technology is in use came into widespread use.

* ''Keeping the ship at constant acceleration'', with the crew standing in the opposite direction of acceleration.
:Same principle that every astronaut experiences as their rocket launches into space and accelerates. This of course means that the ship must get progressively faster for eternity; stabilizing speed would lead to weightlessness, and stopping the ship would send everyone crashing into the ceiling.

* ''Place something with a lot of mass'' within your ship.
:This isn't artificial gravity, but the real thing. But there is the matter of the energies required to move your ship, the large gravity well that wants to attract other objects into your ship's general direction, and the shape of your ship. Gravity just '''works''', pulling from every direction, so you would need a round ship to keep from strange changes in gravity aboard a ship. Worst of all, the amount of fuel needed to move a ship with a local mass concentration would be very high.

* ''Use tidal forces''.
:Stretch a tether with a small mass between a large gravity source and the ship you want. Cheap, fuel-free, and reliable. There's the matter of actually being able to travel somewhere besides planetary orbit without losing gravity, however. Several ships from the science-fiction role-playing game series "[[w:Xenosaga|Xenosaga]]," particularly the vessels ''Durandal'' and ''Dämmerung'', appear to use a concept similar to this with masses rotating around the ship in a controlled orbit maintained by forcefields.

* ''Use magnetism''.
:The term for this is [[w:Diamagnetism|diamagnetism]]. Based on the technologies we've seen in the Re-imagined Series (such as their use of magnetism for landing and launching Vipers)<ref name="vipers">In the [[Miniseries]], a preflight checkout and launch of the fighters can be seen. For launch, the [[Launch tubes (RDM)|launch tubes]] use a magnetic catapult ("magcat") to hurl the Vipers out. On landing, either magnetism or some blend of artificial gravity pulls Vipers to rest on the deck of the [[flight pod]]. This force appears to be just strong enough; note the bouncing that the fighters do as their landing skids hit the landing deck while they retreat to ''Galactica'' as it prepares to jump from Ragnar Anchorage at the conclusion of the Miniseries.</ref>, this principle has the most viability, but is also fraught with huge problems in application.
:''Everything'' has a magnetic attraction, but most objects (a human body included) have very little of it. Diamagnetism at the present time has mostly been used to ''repel'' two objects, i.e. to levitate one of them, instead of to attract them, as gravity would.<ref>Scientists on Earth have actually [http://www.hfml.science.ru.nl/levitate.html levitated a frog at a force of 1''g'' ] (Earth's gravity), but it took a massive amount of cryogenically frozen hardware to do it, and that was using the magnet to push ''away'' from Earth's gravity, not push the object ''down''.</ref>. Also, high magnetic field concentrations are probably not very healthy in the long term. [http://star-www.st-and.ac.uk/~jrs/safety/magnetic.html]

However, these methods, although proven in practice or at least mathematically, are not likely to be the solution implemented in the series. Other possibilities do exist that could more completely match the solutions used in the show, but are based less in current scientific understanding and more on imaginary technology, including:

* Use ''gravitomagnetism''.
: Artificial gravity, or cancellation of gravity, is sometimes present in spacecraft that are neither rotating nor accelerating. At present, there is no confirmed technique that can produce gravity other than sheer mass. There have been many claims over the years of such a device. Eugene Podkletnov, a Russian engineer, has claimed since the early 1990s to have made such a device consisting of a spinning superconductor producing a powerful gravitomagnetic field, but there has been no verification or even negative results from third parties. In 2006, a research group funded by ESA claimed to have created a similar device that demonstrated positive results for the production of gravitomagnetism, although it produced only 100 millionths of a g[http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/GSP/SEM0L6OVGJE_0.html].

* ''Simulate gravity with force fields.''
:The eponymous spaceship in the TV show ''[[w:Andromeda (TV series)|Andromeda]]'' uses "gravity generators". The ''Star Trek'' universe has a [[MemoryAlpha:Artificial gravity|similar concept]]. This seems to be a slap in the face of the realistic SF ethos since it has no basis in scientific plausibilty at present.

* ''Spacetime manipulation.''
:The ability to do [[FTL|Faster Than Light travel]] indicates the Colonials have the advanced technology to manipulate spacetime. The same principles that enable this technology could be used to create gravitational effects on Colonial ships. While such technology is currently as far-flung as the aforementioned force fields and FTL drives, the concept may be arguably the most plausible as the actual solution as its correlation to FTL in the series has roots in [[w:General Relativity|general relativity]]".

So far the concept of artificial gravity in the show has yet to be explained; As much about gravity is still unknown, however, this would be in keeping with the show's [[Naturalistic science fiction|naturalistic sci-fi]] aesthetic.

===What about the flight pods on ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''?===

Unlike ''Galactica'''s, each flight pod on the advanced battlestar ''Pegasus'' are divided along its length into two landing bays. In "[[The Captain's Hand]]", Vipers are flying inverted (relative to the battlestar) and land in the bays "upside down." Is artificial gravity to be credited with this?

The answer is more likely magnetism. Vipers are launched with a magnetic catapult, and (as seen in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]") can magnetically mate using their landing skids to a metal surface (in this case, the interior of a freighter). Like gravity, magnetism works in any direction, and takes little to maintain. Confirming this idea is a scene from the [[Miniseries]]. As ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'' lands in ''Galactica'''s port flight pod to offload passengers for the decommissioning ceremony, two spacesuited figures are working on the deck. The two crewmembers are floating, suggesting that artificial gravity is ''not'' in use. Reinforcing this are the [[combat landing]]s done by Vipers. The fighters bounce very noticeably at high speeds but, unlike a rock skipping across a pond, the Viper bounces less ballistically, suggesting that a weaker force than normal gravity is at work. How the Vipers get from the upside-down flight deck to the right-side-up [[hangar deck]], however, is unknown.

==References==
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