Sickbay

Sickbay ^{(TRS: "The Captain's Hand")}.

The attending doctor in Galactica's sickbay is Doctor Sherman Cottle, but there are lab coat-wearing specialists, nurses and paramedics, such as Layne Ishay, Howard Kim and Sashon, to assist him.

Overview and Design

The sickbay features the equipment of a basic small hospital (beds, stretchers, IV's), but is relatively spartan otherwise. It is also equipped with a machine similar to a magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

The design of Galactica's medical facilities, like the rest of the ship, was influenced by production designer Richard Hudolin's vision to create utilitarian, submarine-inspired spaces that prioritized function over comfort.

According to Lee Adama, the sickbay is also designed as a disaster shelter in the event of a ship catastrophe ^{(TRS: "Valley of Darkness")}.

Medical Services and Fleet Role

In addition to Rising Star, Galactica becomes part of the Fleet's ad hoc health services center, covering the gamut from abortions, cancer treatment, and pre-natal care ^{(TRS: "The Plan", "Bastille Day", "Final Cut", "Sacrifice", "The Captain's Hand" and "Faith")}.

Its final action is as a triage center during the Battle of the Colony ^{(TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")}.

Med Lab

Gaius Baltar with innumerable trays of blood samples from various persons in the Fleet, all for testing via the Cylon detector ^{(TRS: "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down")}.

Galactica features a medical lab outfitted with scientific equipment, including blood testing. Gaius Baltar is later provisioned this lab for work on the Cylon detector. The lab directly connects to the morgue, where Baltar uses samples from the copy of Leoben Conoy found aboard Ragnar Anchorage ^{(TRS: "Litmus", "Six Degrees of Separation" and "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down")}.

The lab itself is located in the starboard forward section of the ship ^{(TRS: "Six Degrees of Separation")}.

The medical lab becomes central to several critical plot developments throughout the series, particularly regarding Baltar's Cylon detector project and his discovery of humanoid Cylons within the Fleet. The lab's dual function as both a legitimate medical facility and a covert Cylon detection center highlights the paranoia and security concerns that permeated Fleet life during their exodus.

Morgue

William Adama opens a morgue drawer containing the husk of Leoben Conoy ^{(TRS: "Flesh and Bone")}.

Galactica's morgue is accessible through the med lab ^{(TRS: "Flesh and Bone", "The Farm" and "Sacrifice")}.

Following the discovery of humanoid Cylons, the husk for the Ragnar Anchorage copy of Leoben Conoy is stowed here ^{(TRS: "Flesh and Bone")}, later joined by the husk of Sharon "Boomer" Valerii following her death by Callandra Henderson ^{(TRS: "Resistance" and "Sacrifice")}.

The morgue serves as more than just a storage facility for the deceased; it becomes a repository for evidence of the Cylon threat, housing the physical remains of humanoid Cylons for study and analysis. This dual purpose reflects the series' themes of death, identity, and the blurred lines between human and machine.

Major characters who have spent time in sickbay

• Cally Henderson—gunshot wound in ^{(TRS: "Bastille Day")}. Later beaten to the point of having her jaw broken by Galen Tyrol and needing it rewired ^{(TRS: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I")}.
• Laura Roslin—numerous examination and treatments relating to her breast cancer ^{(TRS: "Act of Contrition", "Epiphanies" and "Season 4")}.
• Kara Thrace—broken knee ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again" and "Six Degrees of Separation")}.
• Sharon Valerii—self-inflicted gunshot wound in the cheek ^{(TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")}.
• William Adama—after the attempt on his life by Sharon Valerii ^{(TRS: "Scattered" and "Resistance")}.
• Gaius Baltar—scan of his brain to determine whether or not his internal Number Six is a chip ^{(TRS: "Home, Part II")}.
• Lee Adama—gunshot wound ^{(TRS: "Sacrifice")}
• Sharon "Athena" Agathon—near-miscarriage ^{(TRS: "Final Cut")}, cracked rib following Alastair Thorne's attempted rape ^{(TRS: "Pegasus" and "Resurrection Ship, Part I")}, Caesarian-section birth to Hera Agathon ^{(TRS: "Downloaded")}.
• Louanne Katraine—dies from radiation sickness in ^{(TRS: "The Passage")}.
• Galen Tyrol—recovers from explosive decompression in ^{(TRS: "A Day in the Life")}.
• Romo Lampkin—survives an assassination attempt in ^{(TRS: "The Son Also Rises")}.
• Felix Gaeta—after having his leg amputated ^{(TRS: "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?")}.
• Samuel Anders—following a gunshot wound to the head ^{(TRS: "The Oath", "Blood on the Scales", "No Exit" and "Someone to Watch Over Me")}.
• Nicholas Tyrol—during treatment to address early stages of renal failure ^{(TRS: "A Disquiet Follows My Soul")}.