Silas Nash

Silas Nash
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Introduced	Blood and Chrome
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Role	Commanding Officer, Battlestar Galactica
Rank	Commander
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Portrayed by	Brian Markinson
Silas Nash is a Cylon
Silas Nash is a Final Five Cylon
Silas Nash is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Silas Nash is an Original Series Cylon
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Additional Information
[[File:|300px|Silas Nash]]

Commander Silas Nash is the first commanding officer of the battlestar Galactica during the Cylon War.

Service During the First Cylon War

Command of Galactica

Nash commanded Galactica during the later stages of the First Cylon War, overseeing the battlestar's operations as part of the Colonial Fleet's efforts against the Cylons. Like many commanders of his era, Nash had aged visibly during the decade-long conflict, showing the strain of prolonged warfare.

Assignment of Ensign Adama

Nash first encountered Ensign William Adama when the young pilot reported for duty aboard Galactica. During their initial meeting in the CIC, Nash reviewed Adama's personnel file, noting his Tauron family connections and Academy performance. While Adama's grades weren't stellar, his flight instructor had praised him as "one of the best pilot candidates I've ever seen," a recommendation that Nash noted with interest.

Despite Adama's evident eagerness for combat and his question about whether he was "a natural," Nash initially assigned him what appeared to be a routine cargo mission to the Scorpia Shipyards. Nash specifically instructed Adama and his ECO Coker Fasjovik to avoid any enemy contact, stating they should steer clear of "Cylon ships, SAMS, slingshots, exploding dog poops or anything else they might have floating around out there."

Knowledge of the Ghost Fleet Operation

Unbeknownst to Adama at the time, Nash was fully aware that the mission was far from a routine cargo run. The assignment was actually part of a larger covert operation involving the Ghost Fleet Offensive, and Nash had deliberately selected the eager young pilot for this critical mission. His apparent dismissal of Adama as being too "cocky" was part of the operational security for the mission, as he later revealed during their debrief.

Post-Mission Debrief

Following Adama and Fasjovik's return from their harrowing mission, Nash conducted an informal debriefing with Adama in Galactica's infirmary. During this conversation, Nash revealed the true nature of the operation and acknowledged Adama's performance during the mission. Recognizing the young pilot's potential and combat effectiveness, Nash offered him a position in a new joint task force comprised of the Colonial Fleet's best pilots, Marines, and infantry units for special operations throughout the war theater.

Nash informed Adama that there was "a shiny new Viper with your name on it waiting for you," noting that the pilot would still need to select a call sign. This offer represented everything Adama had initially wanted when he first reported for duty, though by this point the young pilot had gained a more sobering perspective on the realities of warfare.

Command Philosophy

Nash demonstrated a pragmatic approach to command, understanding both the necessity of operational security and the importance of recognizing talent when he saw it. His willingness to entrust a critical covert mission to a fresh Academy graduate showed his ability to assess personnel beyond their formal records, while his later acknowledgment of Adama's performance indicated his fairness as a commanding officer.

Legacy

Aaron Doral mentioned Nash during the press briefing he held during a tour on Galactica prior to Galactica's scheduled decommissioning ^{(TRS: "Miniseries")}, indicating that Nash's service aboard the battlestar had become part of the ship's official history and legacy.

Notes

• While Nash's uniform is the same as the Colonel uniforms used post-Armistice, he is noted as Commander. In his first scene in the CIC, Nash is also wearing the rank device that would later denote a Colonel, though in his later appearance in the infirmary, he wears the rank device that corresponds to Commander in the re-imagined series. It is unclear which appearance, if either, is in error.
  • According to ANOVOS, the developer of the Blood and Chrome uniforms, this discontinuity is due to the fact that the Colonials have yet to standardize their armed services uniforms, even 10 years after signing the Articles of Colonization.

References

Preceded by: N/A

Commanding Officer of the battlestar Galactica

Succeeded by: Unknown eventually William Adama