Deke Tornvald

Deke Tornvald
[show/hide spoilers] Spoilers hidden in infobox by default only.
Name	{{{name}}}
Age	{{{age}}}
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Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign	Minute Man
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	Blood and Chrome
Last Known Appearance	[[{{{lastseen}}}]]
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Family Tree	View
Role	Viper pilot
Rank	Captain
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Portrayed by	Mike Dopud
Deke Tornvald is a Cylon
Deke Tornvald is a Final Five Cylon
Deke Tornvald is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Deke Tornvald is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
Additional Information
[[File:|300px|Deke Tornvald]]

Captain Deke "Minute Man" Tornvald is a Viper pilot on detachment from the battlestar Galactica circa 42 BCH (58YR), the 10th year of the First Cylon War.

Known throughout the Colonial Fleet for his 30 kills, Tornvald is an inspiration for young officers including Ensign William Adama who cites Tornvald as the reason he enlisted. Despite his celebrity, Tornvald is physically and mentally scarred, calling the propaganda surrounding him "bullshit."

Character Background

Tornvald began the war as the fresh-faced young man featured in Colonial recruitment videos, but years of combat have taken their toll. By the time Adama encounters him aboard Galactica, Tornvald no longer resembles the poster boy from the old newsreels. He bears visible burn scars on his thigh and arms covered with faded tattoos, and has developed a drinking problem, keeping a bottle of ambrosia next to his shaving kit.

When the eager young Adama approaches him expressing admiration and hoping to be "half the pilot" Tornvald is, the veteran pilot's response reveals his psychological state: "You want to be half a flyer? Toasters can probably arrange that." His cynical dismissal of Adama's hero worship demonstrates how the war has stripped away his earlier idealism.

After his recovery from Djerba following the Ghost Fleet Offensive, newly-minted Viper jock Adama joins Jenna McGavin, Nina Leothe, Deke Tornvald and Tiu for a drink on the hangar deck ^{(TRS: "Blood and Chrome")}.

Legacy

Despite his personal struggles, Tornvald's combat record remains impressive, with more than 30 confirmed Raider kills painted as symbols on his Viper. His influence on recruiting efforts and young pilots like Adama shows the complex relationship between wartime propaganda and the reality of combat service. Later in his career, Adama would recognize this same thousand-yard stare and understand the toll that prolonged warfare takes on even the most skilled pilots.

Notes

• Mike Dopud is one of a handful of actors who have portrayed different characters across the Re-imagined Series installments, first Gage in the Re-imagined Series itself and then Sal in Caprica, before finally portraying Tornvald.
• Amongst Tornvald's tattoos, the wings-and-tails logo is seen upside down for reasons unstated, in addition to Viper patch artwork on his bicep.