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William Adama: Difference between revisions

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:''For information on William Adama's [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Original Series]] counterpart, see [[Adama (TOS)]].''
:''For information on William Adama's [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Original Series]] counterpart, see [[Adama (TOS)]].''
:''For an extended biography on this character, see [[William Adama/Extended Bio]].


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{{Character Data|
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Admiral '''William Adama''' is the commanding officer of the [[Battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', and the highest ranking officer left in the [[Colonial Fleet]].
Admiral '''William Adama''' is the commanding officer of the [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', and the highest ranking officer left in the [[Colonial Fleet]].
 
== Biographical Notes ==


=== Background ===
=== Background ===


William Adama was born on Caprica to [[Evelyn Adama|Evelyn]] and [[Joseph Adama]]. His mother was an accountant and his father, an attorney specializing in civil liberties ([[Litmus]]). They divorced while he was in his teens.  
*William Adama was born on Caprica to [[Evelyn Adama|Evelyn]] and [[Joseph Adama]]. His mother was an accountant and his father, an attorney specializing in civil liberties ([[Litmus]]). They divorced while he was in his teens.  
 
*Adama served late in the [[Cylon War]] as a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot. He allegedly gained the call sign of "Husker" on account of his baritone "gravelled" voice. He proved a gifted pilot, shooting down his first [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] on his very first mission.
At the outbreak of the first [[Cylon War]], Adama was serving in the [[Colonial Fleet]] as a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot. He allegedly gained the call sign of "Husker" on account of his baritone "gravelled" voice. He proved to be a gifted pilot, shooting down his first [[Cylon]] on his very first mission. He racked-up his 1,000th deck landing while serving aboard the Battlestar ''[[Atlantia]]'' ([[Act of Contrition]]), when he held the rank of Lieutenant.
*He racked-up his 1,000th deck landing while serving aboard battlestar ''[[Atlantia]]'' ([[Act of Contrition]]), when he held the rank of Lieutenant.
 
*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]] of a dangerous Cylon tactic that tried to turn the battlestar's power against itself ([[Scattered]], deleted scene).
Adama served on ''[[Galactica]]'' during the war as a pilot. In the last week of the war, the battlestar was boarded by Cylon forces. He recalled to his friend and fellow war veteran [[Saul Tigh]] that the Cylons divided into two teams. One headed for the ship's [[Aft Damage Control|secondary damage control]] and vented the atmosphere, while the other proceeded to [[Auxiliary Fire Control|auxiliary fire control]] and turned ''Galactica'''s guns against the fleet. Over 2,000 people died in the attack ([[Valley of Darkness]], [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season02/202/deleted1.html deleted scene]).
*Following the Cylon armistice, William Adama married [[Caroline Adama]] and 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 of active service began to place a strain on their marriage, and the two eventually divorce.
 
Following the Cylon armistice, William Adama married [[Caroline Adama|Caroline]]. They had two sons together: [[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama|Zak]], before the pressures of Adama's career and the time he spent away from home of active service began to place a strain on their marriage. Nevertheless, this did not stop both Lee and Zak following their father into the service - both signing-up for training as Viper pilots.


[[Image:Youngadamafamily.jpg|thumb|left|A young William Adama and his two sons.]]
[[Image:Youngadamafamily.jpg|thumb|left|A young William Adama and his two sons.]]


A photograph seen in the Miniseries seems to imply that Adama was still in the fleet when his children were roughly six to eight years old, but within a few years he had been discharged as the result of a reduction-in-force. His marriage to Caroline had apparently fully deteriorated by this point, and he found work on a civilian freighter where he met [[Saul Tigh]], who was to become a longtime friend.
*Furloughed by [[Colonial Fleet]] after the war's end, Adama found work on a civilian freighter where he met [[Saul Tigh]], who was to become a longtime friend.
 
*Adama married a second time to [[Anne Adama]]. Anne's family had political influence with the defense subcommittee and pulled to get Adama reinstated to the [[Colonial Fleet]]. Adama himself arranged for Tigh's reinstatement a few years later.
After some time as a civilian, Adama married a second time, to a woman named [[Anne Adama|Anne]]. Her father was able to pull some strings with the defense subcommittee and Adama was reinstated to the [[Colonial Fleet]]. Adama himself arranged for Tigh's reinstatement a few years later.
*While elder son Lee Adama 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 young Adama's poor flight skills. Later, Zak Adama was later killed in an operational flight. Zak's death would cause a rift between he and his older son for nearly [[Act of Contrition|three years]] until Thrace admits her error to Bill Adama.
 
*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 the personnel of all ranks aboard ''Galactica'' hold him in high regard, and know that his is approachable ([[Miniseries]]).  
=== Son's Death ===
*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 stubborness to save Kara Thrace ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]), Adama shows a dogged determination that few others care to confront.
 
During his training, Zak Adama became involved with his flight training officer, Lt. [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]], to whom he became engaged shortly before taking his final qualifying flight ([[Act of Contrition]]). As a result of this, Thrace allowed her personal feelings interfere with her professional judgment, passing Zak Adama through flight school when she should have failed him ([[Miniseries]]). Zak was later killed in an operational flight.
 
As a result of his son's death, Adama faced the failure of his marriage and estrangement from his eldest son, Lee. However, to counter this, he became acquainted with Kara Thrace, and such was the bond that formed between them, Thrace transferred from flight school to one of the Battlestar ''Galactica's'' squadrons, where she served with Adama for some two years before the Cylon's reappearance ([[Act of Contrition]]).  
 
Adama is a natural military leader, as demonstrated by his rise to rank of Commander in charge of a Colonial battlestar. He 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 the personnel of all ranks aboard ''Galactica'' hold him in high regard, and know that his is approachable ([[Miniseries]]).  
 
If Adama has any failings, they are his mistrust of politicians and his strong sense of loyalty to those he regards as family and friends. The former is demonstrated in his uneasy acceptance of [[Laura Roslin]] ([[Miniseries]], [[33]], [[Water]]), which is quickly undermined by Roslin's own doubts following her encounter with [[Leoben Conoy]] ([[Flesh and Bone]]). The latter is most clearly demonstrated by both his support of Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] and his actions when Kara Thrace is posted as Missing in Action.
 
Despite Tigh's obvious drinking problem ([[Miniseries]]), Adama retains him as his [[Executive officer]] when another commanding officer might have too easily transferred Tigh to a planetside desk job to avoid the embarrassment. While this demonstrated Adama's unstinting friendship for Tigh, it does the colonel no favors with the officers and crew under his command - many of whom are openly dismissive of him ([[Miniseries]]) - a fact that may encourage his drinking.
 
With Thrace, Adama's loyalty places the mission to find her above the need to protect [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] and ensure the survival of humanity - thus putting everyone at risk ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]).
 
=== Surprise [[Cylon Attack]] ===
 
At the time of the Cylon's sudden attack on the Twelve Colonies, William Adama is serving 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 was one of Adama's final duties to formally hand her over to the [[Colonial Ministry of Education]] (by way of Education Secretary [[Laura Roslin]]) who would operate the ship as a living museum commemorating the original Cylon War and an educational center ([[Miniseries]]).
 
As a part of the decommissioning ceremonies, someone decides it would be a fitting tribute to have Lee Adama, recently-promoted to the rank of Captain, lead an honor flyby of Vipers - an ironic statement at best, given the strained relationship between the two men. The situation is not made any easier when Lee Adama finds he is to fly his father's battle-honored old Mark II Viper.
 
When he is first notified of the Cylon attack, Adama's first thoughts were, "Dead. We're all dead" ([[Home, Part II]]). Despite this, as well as the presumed loss of his wife in Caprica City, he manages to shepherd [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] to safety. Since the attack on the Twelve Colonies, Adama strives to lead the remnants of humanity with the same conviction as has marked his entire military career. Military discipline remains (mostly) intact aboard ''Galactica'', and she continues to operate as a top-rate warship, despite her lack of any other military support (up to the discovery of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'') and despite her reduced complement in terms of both fighters and crew.


=== 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 was 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]].
*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 wife in Caprica City, he manages to shepherd [[The Fleet (RDM)|the last of humanity]] to safety.
[[image:Mini_Adama_Tigh_DRADIS.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] and Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] plot a course to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] in the [[Miniseries]].]]
[[image:Mini_Adama_Tigh_DRADIS.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] and Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] plot a course to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] in the [[Miniseries]].]]
As a combat veteran, Adama is more than capable of both strategic and tactical operations and making the decisions both require. When [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Picon|Picon]] Fleet Headquarters is destroyed and then Admiral [[Nagala]] is killed, he unhesitatingly takes control of the Colonial's response to the Cylon incursion and starts defining a response to the onslaught. 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.
*When [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Picon|Picon]] Fleet Headquarters is destroyed and then Admiral [[Nagala]] is killed, he unhesitatingly takes control of the Colonial's response to the Cylon incursion and starts defining a response to the onslaught. 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.
This falsehood 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 [[Cylon agent]]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.
*[[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 [[William Adama|Adama]] paints a model boat while talking to [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] in "[[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. Adama ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]). Despite his "gut" feelings about the Cylon, he finds common ground often with her, even [[Resurrection Ship, Part I|apologizing to her]] after a distasteful incident.
*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.
*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 [[Pegasus (episode)|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.
*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 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.


==Current Events==
===Currently...===


A year after [[Gaius Baltar]] is elected president (despite both Adama and Roslin's understanding that the vote will ultimately be a bitter pill for the Fleet to swallow), Admiral Adama commands a heavily under-staffed ''Galactica'' as the flagship of a Defense Fleet, consisting of all ships unable or unwilling to make planetfall on [[New Caprica]]. Adama convinces [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] to rejoin his wife, [[Ellen Tigh|Ellen]], in [[New Caprica City]] after months of debate. [[Helo]] acts as Adama's new [[Executive officer|XO]]. Not long after Saul leaves, Dualla, acting XO of ''Pegasus'', discovers a massive Cylon fleet bearing down on New Caprica. After a brief discussion, the Adamas agree to jump the Fleet to pre-arranged coordinates. The admiral issues the orders with a reminder "We're leaving... but we'll be back" ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).
*A year later, Adama commands a heavily under-staffed ''Galactica'' as the flagship of a Defense Fleet, consisting of all ships unable or unwilling to make planetfall on [[New Caprica]].
*Adama convinces [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] to rejoin Ellen in [[New Caprica City]] after months of debate, with [[Helo]] acting as his new XO.
*Not long after Tigh leaves, a massive Cylon Fleet bears down on New Caprica. After a brief discussion with Lee Adama ([[The Captain's Hand|now commander]] of ''Pegasus'') they order the Fleet to escape pre-arranged Jump coordinates.
*The admiral issued the orders with a reminder "We're leaving... but we'll be back."


==Additional Notes==
==Additional 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]].
*[[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.
Here is SkyOne's summary of Adama:
 
:''William Adama was born on the colony of Caprica, in a small coastal community.''
 
:''His mother Evelyn was an accountant and his father, Joseph, was an attorney who specialised in criminal defence and civil liberties.''
 
:''At the age of 16 his parents divorced and he applied to the Colonial Fleet Academy. That same year, the Cylon War broke out. Adama's training accelerated along with all other midshipmen.''
 
:''After 3 years Adama was commissioned to work as a flight pilot; he gained a further two years of training before Adama joined his first squadron. He was a gifted, natural pilot and he shot down a Cylon fighter in his first mission.''
 
:''After the war was over, Adama was mustered out of the service along with millions of other colonials as part of demobilization process. He went home to Caprica, married his high school sweetheart and started life over.''
 
:''Adama struggled to find work as a pilot and so signed up as a deck hand in the merchant fleet. This experience would later give him an uncommon insight into the lives and struggles of the enlisted ranks aboard Galactica.''
 
:''Adama later had two sons, Lee and Zak. But over the years his exploration aboard ships would see Adama spending less time with his sons. He always tried to instill duty and admiration for military services. But was still surprised to learn that both his sons decided to enter the Fleet and become pilots.''


:''When Zak died during a training flight. Lee confronted his father and laid blame for his younger brother's death.''
* In Hebrew the word pronounced "Adama" means earth.


As this information has not appeared on the official Scifi.com site, its authenticity is in question.  Further, this information states that Adama was fighting in the war 5 years into it, when the war lasted 12 years and RDM has stated in podcasts that Adama only served in the final year of the war.
* SkyOne has posted a [[Sources:Sky One Profile of William Adama|biography]] of William Adama reporting events that occurred prior to the miniseries, however this information has not appeared on the Scifi.com website and contains information that may contradict the [[canon]].


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Revision as of 14:47, 13 July 2006

For information on William Adama's Original Series counterpart, see Adama (TOS).
William Adama
[[Image:|200px|William Adama]]

Name

Age
Colony Caprica
Birth place {{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name William Adama
Birth Date {{{birthdate}}}
Callsign Husker
Nickname {{{nickname}}}
Introduced Miniseries
Death
Parents Evelyn Adama (mother), Joseph Adama (father)
Siblings
Children Lee Adama (alive), Zak Adama (deceased)
Marital Status Divorced (Caroline Adama), remarried to Anne Adama
Family Tree View
Role Commanding Officer, Battlestar Galactica; Supreme Commander of the Colonial Fleet
Rank Admiral
Serial Number {{{serial}}}
Portrayed by Edward James Olmos
William Adama is a Cylon
William Adama is a Final Five Cylon
William Adama is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
William Adama is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
@ BW Media
Additional Information
[[Image:|200px|William Adama]]


Admiral William Adama is the commanding officer of the battlestar Galactica, and the highest ranking officer left in the Colonial Fleet.

Background

  • William Adama was born on Caprica to Evelyn and Joseph Adama. His mother was an accountant and his father, an attorney specializing in civil liberties (Litmus). They divorced while he was in his teens.
  • Adama served late in the Cylon War as a Viper pilot. He allegedly gained the call sign of "Husker" on account of his baritone "gravelled" voice. He proved a gifted pilot, shooting down his first Cylon on his very first mission.
  • He racked-up his 1,000th deck landing while serving aboard battlestar Atlantia (Act of Contrition), when he held the rank of Lieutenant.
  • 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 of a dangerous Cylon tactic that tried to turn the battlestar's power against itself (Scattered, deleted scene).
  • Following the Cylon armistice, William Adama married Caroline Adama and had two sons, Lee and Zak, before the pressures of Adama's career and the time he spent away from home of active service began to place a strain on their marriage, and the two eventually divorce.
A young William Adama and his two sons.
  • Furloughed by Colonial Fleet after the war's end, Adama found work on a civilian freighter where he met Saul Tigh, who was to become a longtime friend.
  • Adama married a second time to Anne Adama. Anne's family had political influence with the defense subcommittee and pulled to get Adama reinstated to the Colonial Fleet. Adama himself arranged for Tigh's reinstatement a few years later.
  • While elder son Lee Adama 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 young Adama's poor flight skills. Later, Zak Adama was later killed in an operational flight. Zak's death would cause a rift between he and his older son for nearly three years until Thrace admits her error to Bill Adama.
  • 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 the personnel of all ranks aboard Galactica hold him in high regard, and know that his 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 stubborness to save Kara Thrace (You Can't Go Home Again), Adama shows a dogged determination that few others care to confront.

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 was 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.
  • 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 wife in Caprica City, he manages to shepherd the last of humanity to safety.
Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh plot a course to Ragnar Anchorage in the Miniseries.
  • When Picon Fleet Headquarters is destroyed and then Admiral Nagala is killed, he unhesitatingly takes control of the Colonial's response to the Cylon incursion and starts defining a response to the onslaught. 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 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 Cylon agents as well as dissenting humans who protest or terrorize others in the Fleet. Adama continually redefines the boundaries of military and civil leadership. After some serious missteps between he and President Roslin, the two later become friends as well as influential leaders.
  • 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 critical mission near Kobol. Cottle eventually repairs the damage to Adama's body, but Adama's psyche takes the larger hit while he repairs the 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.
Commander Adama paints a model boat while talking to Dualla in "Home, Part I."
  • While at first Adama takes a similar stance to Tigh in assuming a hard military posture, a conversation with 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 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. Adama (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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 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.

Currently...

  • A year later, Adama commands a heavily under-staffed Galactica as the flagship of a Defense Fleet, consisting of all ships unable or unwilling to make planetfall on New Caprica.
  • Adama convinces Tigh to rejoin Ellen in New Caprica City after months of debate, with Helo acting as his new XO.
  • Not long after Tigh leaves, a massive Cylon Fleet bears down on New Caprica. After a brief discussion with Lee Adama (now commander of Pegasus) they order the Fleet to escape pre-arranged Jump coordinates.
  • The admiral issued the orders with a reminder "We're leaving... but we'll be back."

Additional Notes

  • Adama (also known as Nazareth) is the name of a large city in Ethiopia. The name is also a variation on "Adam," the first man to be created according to the Bible in the Book of Genesis.
  • In Hebrew the word pronounced "Adama" means earth.
  • SkyOne has posted a biography of William Adama reporting events that occurred prior to the miniseries, however this information has not appeared on the Scifi.com website and contains information that may contradict the canon.


Preceded by:
Unknown, eventually Nash
Commanding Officer of the Battlestar Galactica Succeeded by:
Incumbent